Lacchini (crater)

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Lacchini
Normal lacchini-clem1.jpg
Clementine mosaic
Coordinates 41°42′N107°30′W / 41.7°N 107.5°W / 41.7; -107.5 Coordinates: 41°42′N107°30′W / 41.7°N 107.5°W / 41.7; -107.5
Diameter 58 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 108° at sunrise
Eponym Giovanni Lacchini
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west Lacchini crater 5015 h3.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west

Lacchini is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located in the northern hemisphere, just behind the northwestern limb of the visible Moon. This part of the lunar surface can sometimes be viewed under favorable conditions of libration and illumination, but at such times the crater is only seen from the edge.

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.

Sphere round geometrical and circular object in three-dimensional space; special case of spheroid

A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space that is the surface of a completely round ball.

Less than one crater diameter to the east is the larger crater Bragg. To the north is Stefan, and farther to the southeast is the walled plain Lorentz. Due west of Laccini is Landau, another walled plain.

Bragg (crater) lunar crater

Bragg is an ancient lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northwest limb. This formation has been heavily eroded and reshaped by subsequent impacts, leaving an irregular depression in the surface. The most intact portion of the rim is along the western face, while the northern and eastern rim has been nearly worn away and is overlaid by several smaller craters. The most notable of these is Bragg H, which lies across the east-southeastern rim.

Stefan (crater) lunar crater

Stefan is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northwestern limb. Attached to the western rim is the slightly smaller crater Wegener, and close to the eastern rim is Rynin.

Lorentz (crater) impact crater

Lorentz is a huge lunar impact crater that lies just beyond the northwest limb of the Moon, in a region that is brought into sight of the Earth during favorable librations. This formation is nearly as large as the Mare Nectaris on the near side of the Moon, although it has not been submerged by lava as have the lunar mare. Sections of the crater floor are, however, relatively level, particularly an arc along the western rim. But this last region is still marked by a number of tiny craterlets. The remainder of the interior is rough and irregular, and marked with a multitude of impacts.

The outer rim of Lacchini is roughly circular, with outward bulges to the south and east. The edge is sharp and not significantly eroded. The inner walls have slumped around much of the circumference, forming an irregular ring of talus about the interior floor. There are some low ridges near the midpoint and in the eastern half of the floor.

Scree Broken rock fragments at the base of steep rock faces, that has accumulated through periodic rockfall

Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, volcanoes or valley shoulders that has accumulated through periodic rockfall from adjacent cliff faces. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically have a concave upwards form, while the maximum inclination corresponds to the angle of repose of the mean debris size.

See also

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Demonax (crater) impact crater

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Frost (crater) lunar crater

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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.