Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
Coordinates | 74°24′S76°30′W / 74.4°S 76.5°W Coordinates: 74°24′S76°30′W / 74.4°S 76.5°W |
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Diameter | 113 km |
Depth | Unknown |
Colongitude | 83° at sunrise |
Eponym | Guillaume H. le Gentil |
Le Gentil is a lunar impact crater that is located in the south-southwest part of the Moon, near the limb, and is nearly attached to the southern rim of the huge walled plain Bailly. To the southeast is the large crater Drygalski. Due to its location, this crater appears considerably foreshortened and is viewed from an oblique angle by observers on the Earth.
Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.
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.
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.
As a formation this crater has been deeply eroded by impacts, leaving a heavily worn formation that is little more than a depression in the surface. The rim exists as a circular, rolling ridge with indents and notches where small craters have gouged out the surface. The interior floor is covered in a multitude of tiny craterlets and two small craters: Le Gentil C and Le Gentil B. There is a smaller craterlet attached to the eastern rim of Le Gentil C.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Le Gentil.
Le Gentil | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 74.6° S | 52.4° W | 33 km |
B | 75.0° S | 73.0° W | 16 km |
C | 74.4° S | 75.1° W | 19 km |
D | 74.6° S | 63.8° W | 12 km |
G | 71.8° S | 58.8° W | 17 km |
Abul Wafa is an impact crater located near the lunar equator on the far side of the Moon, named after the Persian mathematician and astronomer Abu al-Wafa' Buzjani. To the east are the crater pair Ctesibius and Heron. In the northeast lies the larger crater King, and to the southwest is Vesalius.
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Armiński is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, to the northeast of the large walled basin Gagarin. To the northwest of Armiński is the crater Beijerinck, and to the southeast lies Cyrano.
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Byrd is an irregular lunar impact crater that is located near the north pole of the Moon. The north rim of Byrd is nearly connected to the crater Peary, a formation that is adjacent to the pole. The smaller crater Gioja is attached to the remains of the southwest rim.
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Biela is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged highlands of the southeastern Moon. It is named after Austrian astronomer Wilhelm von Biela. The crater lies to the east of Rosenberger, to the southeast of the Watt–Steinheil double crater.
Boltzmann is an old lunar impact crater that is located along the southern limb of the Moon, in the vicinity of the south pole. At this location the crater is viewed from the side from Earth, and so not much detail can be seen. It is located to the north of the walled plain Drygalski, and to the west of the crater Le Gentil.
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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.
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.
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.
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.