McMath (crater)

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McMath
McMath LRO WAC.jpg
LRO WAC image
Coordinates 17°18′N165°36′W / 17.3°N 165.6°W / 17.3; -165.6 Coordinates: 17°18′N165°36′W / 17.3°N 165.6°W / 17.3; -165.6
Diameter 86 km
Depth unknown
Colongitude 167° at sunrise
Eponym Francis C. McMath
Robert R. McMath

McMath is an impact crater on the Moon's far side. It lies to the south-southwest of the prominent crater Jackson, and material from the ray system centered on Jackson lies across most of McMath. Farther to the south lies the crater pair of Zhukovskiy and Lebedinskiy.

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.

Jackson (crater) prominent lunar impact 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.

Contents

This is a worn, torn up, and eroded crater formation with several small craters along the rim edge. The rim is the most heavily worn at the northern end, but is more intact to the east and west. The interior floor is relatively level, and is marked by only a few tiny craterlets.

McMath lies to the northwest of the Dirichlet-Jackson Basin.

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 McMath.

McMathLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A19.2° N165.3° W15 km
J14.8° N163.3° W36 km
M16.1° N165.5° W15 km
P13.4° N168.6° W28 km
Q14.5° N167.7° W20 km

See also

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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.