Olcott (crater)

Last updated
Olcott
Olcott crater AS16-M-3001 ASU.jpg
Oblique Apollo 16 image, facing northwest
Coordinates 20°36′N117°48′E / 20.6°N 117.8°E / 20.6; 117.8 Coordinates: 20°36′N117°48′E / 20.6°N 117.8°E / 20.6; 117.8
Diameter 81 km
Colongitude 243° at sunrise
Eponym William T. Olcott
Oblique Apollo 14 image, facing east. Olcott is left of center, Olcott E and M on right Olcott crater AS14-71-9889.jpg
Oblique Apollo 14 image, facing east. Olcott is left of center, Olcott E and M on right

Olcott is a relatively fresh crater on the far side of the Moon. It was named after American astronomer William Tyler Olcott. [1] It lies to the south-southeast of the craters Seyfert and Polzunov, and to the north of Kostinskiy.

Contents

This crater lacks any significant appearance of erosion from subsequent impacts, and its features are relatively well-defined. The rim edge is generally circular, with a slight outward bulge to the northeast and a larger bulge to the south. It has an outer rampart and some terraces and slumped edges along the inner wall. Several low ridges lie near the interior midpoint, with the western pair near the center and the eastern peaks offset towards the eastern rim.

The satellite craters Olcott M and Olcott L form an overlapping pair along the southern outer rampart of Olcott, with the smaller member of the pair Olcott L overlapping Olcott M. The satellite crater Olcott E is partly overlain by the eastern rim of Olcott.

Prior to naming in 1970 by the IAU, [2] this crater was known as Crater 209. [3]

Satellite craters

Olcott and its satellite craters Olcott sattelite craters map.jpg
Olcott and its 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 Olcott.

OlcottLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
E20.9° N119.8° E59 km
L18.3° N118.6° E36 km
M17.9° N117.6° E46 km

Related Research Articles

Meggers (crater)

Meggers is an impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It was named after American physicist William F. Meggers.

Lamé (crater) Lunar impact crater

Lamé is a lunar impact crater located astride the northeast rim of the crater Langrenus, to the east of Mare Fecunditatis. The eastern crater rim appears overlaid by a series of overlapping craters that form an intermittent chain flowing nearly a hundred kilometers to the south. The crater rim protrudes only slightly above the surrounding terrain, but it has a significant rampart where the rim lies within Vendelinus. In the middle of the floor is a slight ridge, forming a central peak.

Vendelinus (crater)

Vendelinus is an ancient lunar impact crater located on the eastern edge of Mare Fecunditatis. To the north of Vendelinus is the prominent crater Langrenus, while to the southeast is Petavius, forming a chain of prominent craters near the eastern rim. Due to its location, the crater appears oblong due to foreshortening.

Faraday (crater) Lunar impact crater

Faraday is a lunar impact crater in the southern highlands of the Moon. It was named after British chemist and physicist Michael Faraday. It lies across the southeast rim of the larger crater Stöfler, and the northwest rim of Faraday forms a wide rampart across the otherwise flat floor of Stöfler. To the east of Faraday is Maurolycus.

Baily (crater)

Baily is the remnant of a lunar impact crater on the boundary between Mare Frigoris to the north and Lacus Mortis to the south. The crater interior has been flooded by lava in the past, and only the northern half of the crater rim remains relatively intact. There is an outward bulge in the northeastern rim, possibly the remnant of another crater formation that once overlapped Baily. The crater interior is flat and relatively featureless, with no impacts of significance. The surviving outer rim reaches a maximum elevation of about 0.5 km.

Calippus (crater)

Calippus is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the eastern edge of the rugged Montes Caucasus mountain range in the northern part of the Moon. It was named after Greek astronomer Callippus of Cyzicus. It lies to the southwest of the crater remnant Alexander, to the northwest of the Mare Serenitatis.

Barringer (lunar crater) Lunar impact crater

Barringer is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southern hemisphere on the Far side of the Moon, named after geologist Daniel Barringer. It is attached to the north-northeastern rim of the walled basin named Apollo, and lies to the southeast of Plummer. South of Barringer, on the floor of the Apollo basin, is the crater Scobee.

Watt (crater)

Watt is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon. It was named after Scottish inventor James Watt. The northwestern third of the crater rim has been completely overlain by the same-sized Steinheil, leaving much of the interior floor covered with the outer rampart of ejecta from the latter formation. The remainder of the rim of Watt is somewhat jagged in appearance, with an inward bulge along the southeast rim and a pair of small outward projections to the northeast. The rim is otherwise relatively sharply defined, with only a minor amount of wear.

Campanus (crater) Lunar impact crater

Campanus is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southwestern edge of Mare Nubium. It was named after Italian astronomer Campanus of Novara. It forms a crater pair with Mercator just to the southeast. Along the southern rampart of Campanus is the small lunar mare named Palus Epidemiarum. To the southwest is the small crater Dunthorne.

C. Mayer (crater) Impact crater

C. Mayer is a lunar impact crater that is located at the northern edge of the Mare Frigoris, due north of the prominent crater Aristoteles. Also to the south, but only a third as distant, is the smaller crater Sheepshanks. Due east of C. Mayer is the flooded crater Kane.

Cusanus (crater) Lunar crater

Cusanus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northeastern limb of the Moon. In this location the crater appears very foreshortened when observed from the Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration. The northern rim of Cusanus is nearly joined to the south-southeastern rim of the larger crater Petermann. To the west is Baillaud and to the southeast is Hayn.

Perrine (crater) Lunar impact crater

Perrine is a lunar impact crater that is located on the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the west of the large walled plain Landau, and to the northeast of the crater Charlier. To the north-northwest is the smaller Gullstrand.

Chebyshev (crater) Lunar impact crater

Chebyshev is a large lunar impact crater that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The somewhat smaller crater Langmuir is intruding into the east-southeastern rim of Chebyshev, forming a chain of large craters with Brouwer on Langmuir's eastern rim.

Schwarzschild (crater)

Schwarzschild is a large lunar impact crater, approximately 211 kilometers (131 mi) in diameter. It is located in the northern part of the Moon's far side. The nearest craters of note are Seares to the northeast, and Gamow to the southeast. It was named after German physicist and astronomer Karl Schwarzschild (1873–1916).

La Pérouse (crater)

La Pérouse is a lunar impact crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. It lies northwest of the larger crater Ansgarius, and to the east of Kapteyn. This crater appears foreshortened due to its location, but the rim is nearly circular when viewed from orbit.

Henry (lunar crater)

Henry is a lunar impact crater that is located to the northwest of the larger crater Cavendish, in the southeastern part of the Moon's near side. It was named after the Scottish-American scientist Joseph Henry. Less than a half diameter to the northwest is similar-sized crater Henry Frères, named for the brothers Paul and Prosper Henry.

Mach (crater)

Mach is a large lunar impact crater of the class known as a walled plain. It is located on the far side of the Moon and cannot be viewed directly from the Earth. Nearby craters of note include Joule to the northeast, Mitra attached to the western outer rim, and Henyey to the southwest.

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.

Kostinskiy (crater)

Kostinsky is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is nearly attached to the northeastern outer rim of the crater Guyot. About one crater diameter to the southeast is Ostwald, and farther to the north is Olcott.

Pavlov (crater)

Pavlov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, approximately 143 kilometers in diameter. Located just to the north-northeast of it is the crater Levi-Civita while to the southeast is Jules Verne.

References

  1. "Olcott (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. Olcott, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
  3. Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)