Gibbs (crater)

Gibbs

Apollo 15 image
Coordinates	18°22′S84°16′E / 18.37°S 84.27°E / -18.37; 84.27
Diameter	78.76 km (48.94 mi)
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	277° at sunrise
Eponym	Josiah W. Gibbs

Gibbs is a lunar impact crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon. It is situated less than a crater diameter to the northeast of the larger crater Hecataeus. The crater chain Catena Humboldt passes to the south of Gibbs, following a line to the northeast. Due to its proximity to the limb, this crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, and visibility is subject to libration.

Description

The outer rim of Gibbs is not quite circular, and an outward bulge to the north gives it an onion-like profile. The southeastern wall is slightly straightened and there is a low break in the rim at the southern and northern ends. In other respects, however, the rim is only slightly eroded. The interior floor is nearly level in the southwestern half, with irregular ridges to the northeast. There is a small craterlet to the northwest of the midpoint.

Etymology

The crater was named after Josiah W. Gibbs by the IAU in 1964. ^[1] The crater Mirzakhani was named to honor Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, in 2024. ^[2]

Nearby features

A recent small impact along the northeastern rim, Mirzakhani, has produced a small ray system that forms a skirt of higher albedo material across this part of the rim. Faint traces from these rays cover the interior floor of Gibbs.

The area around the Mirzakhani impact is characterised by an extremely high rockfall density by lunar standards. ^{[3] : 2, 3}

The satellite crater Gibbs D has a diameter of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) and is located at 13.1° S, 85.9° E.

Imagery

• 
  Oblique closeup of the recent small impact on the north rim of Gibbs, from Apollo 15
• 
  Oblique view from Apollo 17
• 
  Gibbs D from Apollo 15

See also

• 2937 Gibbs, asteroid

References

1. "Gibbs". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS . Retrieved 1 September 2023.
2. "Planetary Names". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
3. Bickel, Valentin Tertius; et al. (2020-06-08). "Impacts drive lunar rockfalls over billions of years". Nature Communications. 11: 1–7. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16653-3. eISSN   2041-1723. PMC   7280507 .

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