Hamilton (crater)

Hamilton
	LRO image
Coordinates	42°48′S84°42′E / 42.8°S 84.7°E Coordinates: 42°48′S84°42′E / 42.8°S 84.7°E
Diameter	57 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	279° at sunrise
Eponym	William R. Hamilton

Last updated August 07, 2019

Hamilton is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southeastern limb of the Moon. From the Earth this crater is viewed nearly from the edge, limiting the amount of detail that can be observed. It can also become hidden from sight due to libration, or brought into a more favorably viewing position.

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.

An impact crater is an approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet, moon, or other solid body in the Solar System or elsewhere, formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller body. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters typically have raised rims and floors that are lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. Impact craters range from small, simple, bowl-shaped depressions to large, complex, multi-ringed impact basins. Meteor Crater is a well-known example of a small impact crater on Earth.

Earth's Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the planet and acts as its only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.

This crater is situated almost due east of the lava-flooded crater Oken, near the uneven Mare Australe. To the northeast of Hamilton, along the lunar limb, is the flooded crater Gum. Less than three crater diameters to the south is the flooded walled plain Lyot.

Lava is molten rock generated by geothermal energy and expelled through fractures in planetary crust or in an eruption, usually at temperatures from 700 to 1,200 °C. The structures resulting from subsequent solidification and cooling are also sometimes described as lava. The molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites, though such material located below the crust is referred to by other terms.

Oken is a lunar impact crater near the southeastern limb of the Moon. It is normally visible from the Earth, but is foreshortened and within the region of the surface that is subject to libration. To the south and east of this feature is the broad, uneven Mare Australe, which extends to the far side of the Moon.

Mare Australe is a lunar mare located in the southeastern hemisphere of the Moon. It is 997 kilometers in diameter, overlapping the near and far sides of the Moon. Smooth, dark volcanic basalt lines the bottom of the mare. The Australe basin was formed in the Pre-Nectarian epoch, while the mare material inside formed in the Upper Imbrian epoch.

This is a nearly circular crater, although the rim to the north is somewhat straightened. It has a well-formed edge that has not been noticeably degraded through impact erosion. There are terraces along the interior sides, particularly along the western edge (which is hidden from view from the Earth.) The interior floor is deep and uneven, with an impact feature joining the midpoint to the north-northwestern inner wall.

To the east and southeast of this crater is a larger, arcing feature that resembles the remains of an old crater. Hamilton lies concentric with the circle in the surface that would be described by this arc. However, only the eastern portion of the old rim survives.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Hamilton.

Hamilton	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
B	42.6° S	82.1° E	32 km

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Bailly (crater) lunar impact crater on the Moon

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Arrhenius is a lunar impact crater that is located just on the far side of the Moon, near the southwest limb. In this location the vicinity of the crater can be viewed during favorable librations, although it is viewed from on edge. To the south-southeast is the worn crater Blanchard, and De Roy lies further to the west.

Balboa is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon. Due to foreshortening, the crater appears highly oval when viewed from the Earth. In actuality, however, the formation is relatively circular. It is comparable in size to the crater Dalton, located just to the southwest. The eastern rim of Balboa lies just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum.

Bowditch is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the eastern limb. It is located on a region of the lunar surface that is brought into view due to libration, but at such times the area is viewed from the edge and so not much detail can be observed. It lies just to the north of the small Lacus Solitudinis lunar mare, between the craters Titius to the southwest and Perel'man to the east-northeast.

Boltzmann is an old lunar impact crater that is located along the southern limb of the Moon, in the vicinity of the south pole. At this location the crater is viewed from the side from Earth, and so not much detail can be seen. It is located to the north of the walled plain Drygalski, and to the west of the crater Le Gentil.

Cepheus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northeastern part of the Moon, within one crater diameter of the larger crater Franklin to the southeast. To the north-north-east is the flooded crater Oersted. The proximity of this formation to the lunar limb means it appears oblong when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening.

Fabry is a large lunar impact crater of the form termed a walled plain. It is located on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northeastern limb. Parts of this area are sometimes brought into view by the effects of libration, but the terrain is seen from the edge and so not much in the way of detail can be observed.

Langley is a lunar impact crater that is located close to the northwestern limb of the Moon, and from the Earth is viewed edge-on. It is located in the gap between the crater Galvani, which lies across the southeastern rim, and Volta along the northeastern rim. Just to the northwest is Stokes.

Voskresenskiy is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon. Due to its position, this crater is viewed edge-on, limiting the amount of detail that can be viewed. The visibility of this formation is also affected by libration, so that at times this crater is hidden from sight, while at other times it can be more readily viewed.

Plutarch is a lunar impact crater that lies near the north-northeastern limb of the Moon, just to the south of the irregular crater Seneca. To the southeast is the flooded crater Cannon. The proximity of this crater to the limb causes it to appear foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, but it is actually a circular formation.

Eichstadt is a lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern section of the Montes Cordillera range that encircles the Mare Orientale impact basin. It lies toward the southwestern limb of the Moon, and so appears oblong when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening. Over 200 kilometers to the east of Eichstadt are the craters Darwin and Lamarck, and to the south is Krasnov.

Gum is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southeastern limb of the Moon, and is viewed nearly from the side from Earth. It lies along the western edge of the irregular Mare Australe, to the northeast of the crater Hamilton. To the north-northwest is the larger Abel, and to the east-southeast on the far side of the Moon is Jenner.

Gill is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southeastern limb of the Moon. Due to its proximity to the edge of the Moon as seen from the Earth, this crater is viewed nearly from the side and it can become hidden from sight due to libration. The crater lies to the southwest of the irregular Mare Australe, and southeast of the prominent crater Pontécoulant. To the southwest of Gill is the crater Helmholtz.

Gernsback is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located in the northeastern part of the uneven Mare Australe, just behind the southeastern limb. During periods of favorable libration this feature can be brought into view of the Earth, but it is seen from the side and not much detail can be observed. It is located about a crater diameter north of the larger crater Lamb, and southwest of Parkhurst.

Donner is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the northeast of the Mare Australe, behind the southeastern limb of the Moon. During favorable librations this part of the lunar surface can be brought into view of the Earth, but the site is viewed from the edge and so not much detail can be seen.

Erro is a lunar impact crater that lies beyond the eastern limb of the Moon, on the far side as seen from the Earth. It lies along the eastern fringes of the uneven plain that joins Mare Marginis to the northwest with Mare Smythii to the west-southwest. This part of the surface is sometimes brought into sight of observers on the Earth due to libration. However even at such times not much detail can be seen, as the surface is viewed from the edge.

Helberg is a lunar impact crater that is located just behind the western limb of the Moon, on the far side from the Earth. Due to libration this part of the surface is sometimes brought into view, and the crater is visible under suitable lighting conditions. However even under these circumstances the crater is viewed from the edge and not much detail can be seen.

Röntgen is a relatively large lunar impact crater that lies along the northwestern limb of the Moon. Its northwestern outer rim is partly overlain by the crater Nernst. Both Nernst and Röntgen overlie the eastern rim of the much larger walled plain Lorentz. The smaller crater Aston is separated from the eastern edge of Röntgen by only a few kilometers of terrain. To the south-southeast is Voskresenskiy.

Wyld is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side, beyond the eastern limb. It lies in that portion of the lunar surface that is sometimes brought into view of the Earth under conditions of favorable libration and illumination, but even then the crater is seen from the edge and not much detail can be observed. Wyld lies to the northeast of the larger Hirayama and to the west of Saha. Attached to the northern outer rim is the small crater Fox.

References

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McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report . Retrieved 2007-10-24.
Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763.
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Ewen Adair Whitaker was a British-born astronomer who specialized in lunar studies. During World War II he was engaged in quality control for the lead sheathing of hollow cables strung under the English Channel as part of the "Pipe Line Under The Ocean" Project (PLUTO) to supply gasoline to Allied military vehicles in France. After the war, he obtained a position at the Royal Greenwich Observatory working on the UV spectra of stars, but became interested in lunar studies. As a sideline, Whitaker drew and published the first accurate chart of the South Polar area of the Moon in 1954, and served as director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

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LRO image
Coordinates	42°48′S84°42′E / 42.8°S 84.7°E / -42.8; 84.7 Coordinates: 42°48′S84°42′E / 42.8°S 84.7°E / -42.8; 84.7
Diameter	57 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	279° at sunrise
Eponym	William R. Hamilton