 MESSENGER NAC | |
| Planet | Mercury |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 72°46′S184°50′W / 72.76°S 184.84°W |
| Quadrangle | Bach |
| Diameter | 71.45 km (44.40 mi) |
| Eponym | Giacomo Leopardi |
Leopardi is a crater on Mercury. [1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Leopardi is named for the Italian writer Giacomo Leopardi, who lived from 1798 to 1837. [2]
An escarpment called Altair Rupes cuts across Leopardi crater. It extends to the east and to the northwest from the crater. [3]
Catharina is an ancient lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands. It was named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria. It lies in a rugged stretch of land between the Rupes Altai scarp to the west and Mare Nectaris in the east. To the west-northwest is the crater Tacitus, and the lava-flooded Beaumont lies to the east along the shore of Mare Nectaris. To the south-southeast is Polybius.
Väisälä is a tiny lunar impact crater located on a rise in the Oceanus Procellarum. Sharing the same continental island are the brilliant crater Aristarchus to the south-southeast and Herodotus to the south-southwest. Väisälä lies just to the west of the Rupes Toscanelli fault line, and the Rimae Aristarchus rille system. To the southwest is the notable Vallis Schröteri cleft.
Cauchy is a small lunar impact crater on the eastern Mare Tranquillitatis. It was named after French mathematician Augustin-Louis Cauchy. It is circular and symmetric, with a small interior floor at the midpoint of the sloping inner walls. Due to the high albedo of this bowl-shaped formation, it is particularly prominent at full Moon.
de Gerlache is a lunar impact crater that is located along the southern limb of the Moon, within a crater diameter of Shackleton at the south pole. From the Earth this crater is seen from the edge, and it lies in perpetual darkness. Thus little or no detail can be seen of this crater, other than the edge of the rim. However, the crater is clearly visible in Earth-based radar images. The crater is roughly circular, with some slight wear. No craters of note overlie the rim, although some formations may be attached to the southern and western edges.
Nobile is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southern pole of the Moon. It was named after the Italian aviator and explorer Umberto Nobile by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1994. It lies to the south of the crater Scott, along the western rim of Amundsen. Between Nobile and the southern pole lie the smaller craters Shoemaker and Faustini.
Antoniadi Dorsum is a ridge on Mercury at 25.1°N 30.5°W, and it is approximately 359 km in length. In 1976, it was named by the International Astronomical Union after Eugène Michel Antoniadi.
Rameau is a crater on Mercury. It was named by the IAU in 1976, after French composer Jean Philippe Rameau.
The Eminescu quadrangle (H-9) is one of fifteen quadrangles on Mercury. It runs from 216 to 288° longitude and from -25 to 25° latitude. Named after the Eminescu crater, it was mapped in detail for the first time after MESSENGER entered orbit around Mercury in 2011. It had not been mapped prior to that point because it was one of the six quadrangles that was not illuminated when Mariner 10 made its flybys in 1974 and 1975. These six quadrangles continued to be known by their albedo feature names, with this one known as the Solitudo Criophori quadrangle.
Victoria Rupes is an escarpment in the Victoria quadrangle of Mercury. The quadrangle was named after this escarpment, and the escarpment itself was named after the Victoria, a ship used on the famous expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976.
Matisse is an impact crater on the southern hemisphere of Mercury. Matisse takes its name from the French artist Henri Matisse, and it was named by the IAU in 1976.
Raphael is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976, and is named for the Italian painter Raphael.
Praxiteles is a crater on Mercury. It is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury.
Izquierdo is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2009, for the Mexican painter María Izquierdo. The floor of Izquierdo is smooth, the result of having been partially filled with volcanic lava. Circular outlines of the rims of “ghost craters” – smaller, older craters that have been largely buried by the lavas that infilled the basin – are visible in a few places on Izquierdo's floor. The remnants of a buried inner ring are also barely discernible in spots, and it is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury. There have been more recent impacts into the floor of Izquierdo, resulting in some small, sharply defined craters.
Guido d'Arezzo is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 58 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Guido d'Arezzo is named for the Italian music theorist Guido of Arezzo, who lived from 990 to 1050.
Holbein is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1979. Holbein is named for the Germain painters Hans Holbein the Elder, who lived from 1465 to 1524, and Hans Holbein the Younger, who lived from 1497 to 1543.
Neumann is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 120 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Neumann is named for the German architect Johann Balthasar Neumann, who lived from 1687 to 1753.
Seuss is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2012. It is named for the American author and cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.
Pushkin is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Pushkin is named for Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.
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