Maksutov (crater)

Last updated
Maksutov
Normal Maksutov Map a Planet.jpg
Clementine mosaic
Coordinates 40°30′S168°42′W / 40.5°S 168.7°W / -40.5; -168.7 Coordinates: 40°30′S168°42′W / 40.5°S 168.7°W / -40.5; -168.7
Diameter 83 km
Depth 3270 m [1]
Colongitude 170° at sunrise
Eponym Dmitri D. Maksutov
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image Maksutov crater 5043 med.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image

Maksutov is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the south-southwest of the larger walled plain Oppenheimer. To the southwest lies the crater Nishina, and to the west-northwest is the merged crater pairing of Davisson and Leibnitz.

This crater has a reasonably well-defined outer rim that has not been significantly degraded through impact erosion. The more notable feature of this crater, however, is the flooded interior floor. This nearly level interior surface has the lower albedo that is characteristic of a basaltic-lava-covered floor. The inner wall of the rim varies in width, with the narrowest portion lying in the southeast, while wider sections lie along the remaining edges, particularly to the northeast and northwest. The depth of the crater here is defined as the distance between the highest point on the rim to the lowest area of the crater floor, not including the floor's impact craters.

Prior to formal naming in 1970 by the IAU, [2] the crater was known as Crater 439. [3]

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 Maksutov.

MaksutovLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
U40.1° S170.9° W21 km

Related Research Articles

Dawes (lunar crater)

Named after British astronomer William Rutter Dawes, Dawes is a lunar impact crater located in the wide straight between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquilitatis. To its southwest lies the larger crater Plinius, and to its northeast sits the Mons Argaeus mountain rise.

Posidonius (crater)

Posidonius is a lunar impact crater that is located on the north-eastern edge of Mare Serenitatis, to the south of Lacus Somniorum. It was named after ancient Greek philosopher and geographer Posidonius of Apamea. The crater Chacornac is attached to the southeast rim, and to the north is Daniell.

Zeeman (crater)

Zeeman is a lunar impact crater located on the far side of the Moon near its south pole. It is not directly visible from the Earth. To the northwest of Zeeman lies the crater Numerov. Southeast of the rim is the crater Ashbrook.

Bohnenberger (crater)

Bohnenberger is a lunar impact crater that lies near the east edge of the Mare Nectaris, in the foothills of the Montes Pyrenaeus mountain range that forms the perimeter of the mare. To the east beyond the mountains is the larger crater Colombo. The crater has a low rim along the north wall, and the floor is somewhat irregular with a ridge crossing the floor. There is a small crater along the western inner wall.

Artamonov (crater)

Artamonov is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. The eroded outer rim of Artamonov does not have the circular shape of most lunar craters, and instead has the overall shape of three or four merged craters. The largest of these formations is in the south, with smaller circular bulges to the north and east.

Fechner (crater)

Fechner is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon's southern hemisphere, attached to the western rim of the large walled plain Planck. The eastern rim of Fechner intersects the Vallis Planck, a long, wide cleft in the surface that follows a course to the north-northwest. This valley intrudes into the southeastern rim of the crater, then continues northwards from the periphery of the northeast rim.

Nishina (crater)

Nishina is the remnant of a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the south-southwest of the crater Maksutov, to the southeast of Finsen and Leibniz.

Becquerel (lunar crater)

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.

Damoiseau (crater)

Damoiseau is a lunar impact crater that is located just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum, in the western part of the Moon's near side. It lies due east of the prominent crater Grimaldi, a walled plain with a distinctive dark floor. Due south of Damoiseau is the crater Sirsalis.

Chrétien (crater)

Chrétien is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon from the Earth. It lies due south of the Mare Ingenii, one of the few maria on the Moon's far side. The crater lies in the midpoint between the craters Garavito to the west-southwest and Oresme to the east-northeast, both of these being somewhat smaller than Chrétien.

Mendeleev (crater) Impact crater

Mendeleev is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, as seen from the Earth. The southern rim of this walled plain just crosses the lunar equator. Intruding into the eastern rim of Mendeleev is the crater Schuster. Nearly on the opposite side, the smaller Hartmann intrudes into west-southwestern rim.

Oppenheimer (crater) Lunar impact crater

Oppenheimer is a large lunar impact crater that lies on the Far side of the Moon. It lies along the western outer rampart of the immense walled plain Apollo. Nearby features of note include the dark-floored crater Maksutov to the southwest, and Davisson to the west-southwest. The latter intrudes into the eastern rim of Leibnitz, a feature about 20% larger than Oppenheimer.

Chaplygin (crater)

Chaplygin is a large lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of the huge walled plain Mendeleev, about midway between the craters Schliemann to the northeast and Marconi to the southwest. It is about the same size as Albategnius on the near side.

Jackson (crater)

Jackson is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. Less than one crater to the northeast is the crater Mineur, and to the south-southwest lies McMath.

FitzGerald (crater)

FitzGerald is a large lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the west-southwest of the crater Cockcroft, and about two crater diameters to the northeast of Morse.

Fleming (crater)

Fleming is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side, and cannot be seen from the Earth. It lies about a crater diameter to the east-northeast of Hertz, and to the northwest of Lobachevskiy.

Jenner (crater)

Jenner is a lunar crater that is located within the Mare Australe. It lies just past the southeastern limb, on the far side of the Moon, and can be viewed from the Earth during periods of favorable libration and lighting. Nearly attached to the eastern outer rim of Jenner is the larger, flooded crater Lamb.

Kleymenov (crater)

Kleymenov is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located near the east-northeastern outer wall of the huge walled plain Apollo, and to the west-northwest of the large crater Chebyshev. To the north is Mariotte.

Richardson (lunar crater)

Richardson is a large lunar impact crater located on the Moon's far side, just behind the eastern limb. It lies to the south of the huge walled plain Harkhebi, and to the east-southeast of the crater Vestine. Just to the northeast is Szilard, and to the southeast is Artamonov.

Schuster (crater)

Schuster is a lunar impact crater that lies along the eastern rim of the much larger walled plain Mendeleev, on the far side of the Moon. To the east of Schuster is the crater Henderson, and to the southeast lies the large Chaplygin.

References

  1. "LROC QuickMap". quickmap.lroc.asu.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  2. Maksutov, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
  3. Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)