Mezentsev (crater)

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Mezentsev
Normal mezentsev-clem1.jpg
Clementine mosaic
Coordinates 72°06′N128°42′W / 72.1°N 128.7°W / 72.1; -128.7 Coordinates: 72°06′N128°42′W / 72.1°N 128.7°W / 72.1; -128.7
Diameter 89 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 133° at sunrise
Eponym Yurij B. Mezentsev
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west Mezentsev crater 5006 h3.jpg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west

Mezentsev is a lunar impact crater that is located in the high northern latitudes on the Moon's far side. It lies just to the west of the smaller Niepce. To the southwest is the larger Stebbins, to the west-southwest is Hippocrates and to the northwest is Heymans.

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.

Latitude The angle between zenith at a point and the plane of the equator

In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the Earth's surface. Latitude is an angle which ranges from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles. Lines of constant latitude, or parallels, run east–west as circles parallel to the equator. Latitude is used together with longitude to specify the precise location of features on the surface of the Earth. On its own, the term latitude should be taken to be the geodetic latitude as defined below. Briefly, geodetic latitude at a point is the angle formed by the vector perpendicular to the ellipsoidal surface from that point, and the equatorial plane. Also defined are six auxiliary latitudes which are used in special applications.

This is a worn and eroded crater with a low outer rim and a relatively level interior. The circular nature of the rim can still be seen, but a number of impacts lie across the rim and the edge is generally softened and rounded. A smaller, unnamed crater is attached to the southwestern rim, with the satellite crater Mezentsev S laid across the western rim of this feature. The interior floor is roughly level but with some small craterlets marking the surface. The most prominent of these is a fresh, cup-shaped crater in the western half of the interior.

On some maps this crater has been labelled 'Mesentsev'.

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 Mezentsev.

MezentsevLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
M68.7° N126.8° W74 km
Q69.4° N135.6° W26 km
S71.5° N136.9° W21 km

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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.