Lander (crater)

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Lander
Lander crater AS15-M-0306.jpg
Apollo 15 Mapping Camera image
Coordinates 15°18′S131°48′E / 15.3°S 131.8°E / -15.3; 131.8 Coordinates: 15°18′S131°48′E / 15.3°S 131.8°E / -15.3; 131.8
Diameter 40 km
Depth 3.0 km
Colongitude 229° at sunrise
Eponym Richard L. Lander

Lander is a lunar impact crater that is located just to the north-northeast of the prominent Tsiolkovskiy, on the far side of the Moon.

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.

Tsiolkovskiy (crater) lunar impact crater

Tsiolkovskiy is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. Named for Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, it lies in the southern hemisphere, to the west of the large crater Gagarin, and northwest of Milne. Just to the south is Waterman, with Neujmin to the south-southwest. The crater protrudes into the neighbouring Fermi, an older crater of comparable size that does not have a lava-flooded floor.

Contents

Attached to the northeastern rim of Lander is Volkov J, which is joined with Volkov to the north. Just to the southeast of Lander is Patsaev. Lander cannot be seen directly from the Earth, and must be observed from orbit. This is a worn and eroded crater formation, with features that have become poorly defined and softened due to subsequent impacts and possibly some overlap of ejecta from Tsiolkovskiy and other sources. The inner rim is wider and has a gentler slope along the eastern side. The interior floor is relatively level, but contains some low rises. Only a few tiny craterlets dot the rim and interior of this formation.

Volkov (crater) lunar crater

Volkov is a lunar impact crater on the Moon's far side. It is located to the north of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy, and east-southeast of Dobrovol'skiy. Overlying the southeastern rim of Volkov is the satellite crater Volkov J, and the two have merged to form a figure-8 shape. The crater Lander is attached to the southwest rim of Volkov J, making this a triple-crater formation.

Earth Third planet from the Sun in the Solar System

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence, Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Earth's gravity interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon, Earth's only natural satellite. Earth orbits around the Sun in 365.26 days, a period known as an Earth year. During this time, Earth rotates about its axis about 366.26 times.

Orbit gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in outer space; circular or elliptical path of one object around another object

In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved trajectory of an object, such as the trajectory of a planet around a star or a natural satellite around a planet. Normally, orbit refers to a regularly repeating trajectory, although it may also refer to a non-repeating trajectory. To a close approximation, planets and satellites follow elliptic orbits, with the central mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse, as described by Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

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 Lander.

LanderLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
K16.2° S132.2° E23 km

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Dawson (crater) crater

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Casatus (crater) impact crater

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Fermi (crater) impact crater

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Bondarenko (crater) lunar crater

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Chevallier (crater) impact crater

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Chauvenet (crater) impact crater

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Dziewulski (crater) lunar crater

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Patsaev lunar crater

Patsaev is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, to the northeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy. To the northwest is the smaller crater Lander.

Neujmin (crater) lunar crater

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Waterman (crater) lunar crater

Waterman is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side, and cannot be viewed directly from the Earth. It lies along the southern outer ramparts of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy. Almost attached to the southwest is Neujmin, so that Waterman lies straddled between these two features.

Schaeberle (lunar crater) lunar crater

Schaeberle is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the northeast of the much larger walled plain Milne. Due north of Schaeberle is the relatively fresh crater Izsak, and an equal distance to the east-northeast lies Zhiritskiy.

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.