Helberg (crater)

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Helberg
Helberg crater 4188 med.jpg
Lunar Orbiter 4 image, while at the lunar termnator
Coordinates 22°30′N102°12′W / 22.5°N 102.2°W / 22.5; -102.2 Coordinates: 22°30′N102°12′W / 22.5°N 102.2°W / 22.5; -102.2
Diameter 62 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 103° at sunrise
Eponym Robert J. Helberg

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.

Lunar craters

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

Impact crater Circular depression on a solid astronomical body formed by a hypervelocity impact of a smaller object

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.

Moon Earths natural satellite

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 nearly attached to the east-northeastern rim of the crater Robertson. Within a crater diameter to the northwest lies Berkner, and farther to the east is Bell.

Robertson (crater) lunar crater

Robertson is an important lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the western limb. It lies just to the south of Berkner, a formation with a comparable size but more eroded features. Just to the east is Helberg, and to the southwest is Alter.

Berkner (crater) lunar crater

Berkner is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just past the western limb. It is attached to the east-southeast rim of the crater Parenago. Just to the south is the Robertson, and to the southeast is Helberg.

Bell (crater) lunar crater

Bell is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just past the western limb. It lies in an area of terrain that is marked by many small craters, a number of which are satellite craters of Bell listed in the table below. Bell lies within two crater diameters of Laue to the north, and to the west of the smaller Helberg.

This is an eroded crater formation which overlies Helberg C along the east-northeastern side and Helberg H to the southeast. The southern rim is somewhat uneven, with an area of intrusion to the southwest. The interior floor has the remains of a crater rim at the northern end. It is otherwise relatively featureless.

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 Helberg.

HelbergLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
C23.4° N100.6° W70 km
H21.8° N101.2° W29 km

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Cepheus (crater) lunar crater

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Barringer (lunar crater)

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Bjerknes (lunar crater) lunar crater

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Bronk (crater) lunar crater

Bronk is an eroded crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, out of sight from the Earth. It lies to the southeast of the larger crater Kovalevskaya. Less than one crater diameter to the east-northeast is the smaller crater Bobone.

Cannon (crater) lunar crater

Cannon is a lunar impact crater that is located near the east-northeastern limb of the Moon's near side. It lies just to the northwest of the Mare Marginis, and south-southeast of the crater Plutarch. Farther to the east-northeast is Hubble.

Cysatus (crater) impact crater

Cysatus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern part of the Moon's near side. It is joined to the northeastern rim of the larger crater Gruemberger, and intrudes slightly into the interior of that formation. Due south is the larger Moretus, and to the east is Curtius. These craters appear foreshortened when observed from Earth because of their far south location.

Epigenes (crater) impact crater

Epigenes is a lunar impact crater that is located in the north part of the Moon, and is sufficiently close to the northern limb to appear significantly foreshortened from the Earth. It lies just to the northwest of the remains of the walled plain W. Bond. Due north of Epigenes is Goldschmidt, and the ruined crater Birmingham lies just to the southwest.

Chebyshev (crater) lunar crater

Chebyshev is a large lunar impact crater that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The somewhat smaller crater Langmuir is intruding into the east-southeastern rim of Chebyshev, forming a chain of large craters with Brouwer on Langmuir's eastern rim.

Cannizzaro (crater) lunar crater

Cannizzaro is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side as seen from the Earth, just beyond the northwestern limb. It lies in a region of the surface that is sometimes brought into view due to the effects of libration, but not much detail can be seen since this feature is viewed from the side. The crater lies across the southwestern rim of the much larger-walled plain Poczobutt.

Chevallier (crater) impact crater

Chevallier is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northeastern part of the Moon's near side, about a crater diameter east-southeast of the prominent crater Atlas. To the south-southeast of Chevallier is the flooded crater Shuckburgh.

Eimmart (crater) impact crater

Eimmart is a lunar impact crater that is located near the east-northeastern limb of the Moon, to the northeast of the Mare Crisium. The northern and eastern outer rim of this crater borders on the narrow Mare Anguis. To the northwest of Eimmart are the smaller crater Delmotte and the prominent Cleomedes.

Douglass (lunar crater) lunar crater

Douglass is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the crater Frost and south-southwest of the large walled plain Landau.

Danjon (crater) lunar crater

Danjon, is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies less than a crater diameter to the east-southeast of the larger crater Langemak. To the east-northeast of Danjon is the crater Perepelkin, and due south lies the walled plain Fermi.

DArsonval (crater) lunar crater

D'Arsonval is a small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is situated across the northeastern rim of the older and larger crater Danjon. To the west of D'Arsonval is Perepelkin.

Fesenkov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the east-southeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy, and less than a crater diameter to the north of Stark.

Fridman (crater) lunar crater

Fridman is the remains of a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies due south of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, and is attached to the northeastern rim of the crater Ioffe.

References

Ewen Whitaker British astronomer

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.

NASA space-related agency of the United States government

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.

United States Geological Survey Scientific agency of the United States government

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.