Nagaoka (crater)

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Nagaoka
Nagaoka crater AS13-62-8915.jpg
Oblique Apollo 13 image, facing east
Coordinates 19°24′N154°00′E / 19.4°N 154.0°E / 19.4; 154.0 Coordinates: 19°24′N154°00′E / 19.4°N 154.0°E / 19.4; 154.0
Diameter 46 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 206° at sunrise
Eponym Hantaro Nagaoka
Oblique Apollo 16 image, facing north Nagaoka crater AS16-120-19203.jpg
Oblique Apollo 16 image, facing north

Nagaoka is a lunar impact crater that lies to the southeast of the Mare Moscoviense, on the far side of the Moon. To the east of Nagaoka is the somewhat larger Konstantinov.

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.

Mare Moscoviense lunar mare

Mare Moscoviense is a lunar mare that sits in the Moscoviense basin. It is one of the very few maria on the far side of the Moon. Like Mare Marginis, this mare appears to be fairly thin. However, it is clearly centered within a large impact basin. It is also much lower than either the outer basin floor or the farside highlands.

This is a moderately eroded crater formation, with the satellite crater Nagaoka W overlapping the northwestern rim. The remainder of the rim remains well-defined, although it is overlain by several tiny craterlets. The inner wall has slumped in places, forming terrace-like shelves. A few small craterlets lie within the crater interior.

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 Nagaoka.

NagaokaLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
U19.9° N151.4° E30 km
W20.0° N153.0° E29 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.