Kunowsky (lunar crater)

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Kunowsky
Kunowsky crater 4133 h1.jpg
Coordinates 3°12′N32°30′W / 3.2°N 32.5°W / 3.2; -32.5
Diameter 18 km
Depth 0.9 km
Colongitude 33° at sunrise
Eponym Georg Karl Friedrich Kunowsky
The crater area in a Selenochromatic Image (Si) Area del cratere Kepler.jpg
The crater area in a Selenochromatic Image (Si)
Oblique view of Kunowsky from Apollo 12 Kunowsky crater AS12-52-7746.jpg
Oblique view of Kunowsky from Apollo 12
Area south of Kunowsky from Apollo 14 AS14-78-10377.jpg
Area south of Kunowsky from Apollo 14

Kunowsky is a small lunar impact crater on the Mare Insularum, in the western half of the Moon's near side. It is named after the German astronomer Georg Karl Friedrich Kunowsky. [1] It lies about one third the distance from Encke to the west-northwest and Lansberg to the east-southeast.

Contents

This formation is surrounded by lunar mare, and the interior has been flooded by basaltic lava, leaving only a roughly circular rim projecting above the surface. The rim is slender and sharp-edged, with no significant erosion. Apart from a tiny craterlet at the midpoint of the interior floor, this crater has no other significant features. It does lie in a region of the mare where rays from the craters Kepler to the northwest and Copernicus farther to the northeast.

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 Kunowsky.

KunowskyLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
C0.2° S32.4° W3 km
D1.5° N28.8° W5 km
G1.7° N30.7° W4 km
H1.1° N30.0° W3 km

References

  1. "Kunowsky (lunar crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.