Kurchatov (crater)

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Kurchatov
Kurchatov LROC.jpg
LRO WAC image
Coordinates 38°18′N142°06′E / 38.3°N 142.1°E / 38.3; 142.1 Coordinates: 38°18′N142°06′E / 38.3°N 142.1°E / 38.3; 142.1
Diameter 106 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 218° at sunrise
Eponym Igor V. Kurchatov
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image Kurchatov crater 5124 h2.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image
Oblique Apollo 13 image Kurchatov crater AS13-60-8653.jpg
Oblique Apollo 13 image

Kurchatov is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side. It is just to the southwest of the crater Wiener, and farther to the southeast of Bridgman. A couple of crater diameters to the south of Kurchatov is the northern edge of the Mare Moscoviense.

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.

Contents

This is a worn and eroded crater formation, with a pair of small craters lying across the northern rim, and a generally worn and pitted rim and inner wall. A small crater lies along the northern inner wall and a bowl-shaped crater at the northwest edge of the interior floor. There is a small, elongated central ridge near the midpoint, and the interior floor is pitted with tiny craterlets.

Beginning to the south of Kurchatov and running toward the west-northwest is a crater chain designated Catena Kurchatov. The chain ends to the southeast of Becquerel.

Becquerel (lunar crater) impact crater on the moon

Becquerel is a lunar impact crater that lies in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This is an ancient and heavily worn formation that is now little more than an irregular buri in the surface. The outer rim has been worn and reshaped until it forms a rugged, mountainous region around the flatter interior.

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 Kurchatov.

KurchatovLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
T38.0° N138.0° E27 km
W40.4° N140.4° E33 km
X41.3° N139.9° E17 km
Z41.0° N141.8° E27 km

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Dziewulski (crater) lunar crater

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Wiener (crater) lunar crater

Wiener is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side. It is located just to the southwest of the larger crater Campbell. To the southwest of Wiener is the heavily worn Kurchatov. To the east along the rim of Campbell is Von Neumann. The smaller crater Pawsey lies to the north-northwest, and is partly overlain by the outer rampart of Wiener.

Prager (crater) lunar crater

Prager is an impact crater on the Moon's far side. It was named after German-American astronomer Richard Prager. It is located just to the northeast of the crater Love. Farther to the south-southeast lies Lane. To the north of this crater and leading away to the northwest is a crater chain that has been designated Catena Gregory.

Nijland (crater) lunar crater

Nijland is a relatively small impact crater on the far side of the Moon. This is a relatively isolated crater that is surrounded by impacted surface with smaller craters. The nearest significant crater is Kurchatov to the northeast. More than 100 km the north of Nijland is a crater chain that runs from the south of Kurchatov towards the west-northwest. This chain is designated Catena Kurchatov.

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.