Pizzetti (crater)

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Pizzetti
Pizzetti crater LROC WAC.jpg
LRO WAC image
Coordinates 34°54′S118°48′E / 34.9°S 118.8°E / -34.9; 118.8 Coordinates: 34°54′S118°48′E / 34.9°S 118.8°E / -34.9; 118.8
Diameter 44 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 240° at sunrise
Eponym Paolo Pizzetti
Clementine mosaic Normal pizzetti-clem1.jpg
Clementine mosaic
Oblique view from Lunar Orbiter 3, facing south Pizetti crater 3121 med.jpg
Oblique view from Lunar Orbiter 3, facing south
Oblique view from Apollo 17, facing east Pizzetti crater AS17-M-3184.jpg
Oblique view from Apollo 17, facing east

Pizzetti is a partly eroded lunar impact crater that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It is located due north of the similar-dimensioned Clark, and to the southeast of the large walled plain Milne. Nearly attached to the western rim is the small Tyndall. The crater is named for the Italian astronomer and geodesist Paolo Pizzetti (1860-1918).

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.

Sphere round geometrical and circular object in three-dimensional space; special case of spheroid

A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space that is the surface of a completely round ball.

This crater is generally circular in shape, with the south-southeastern portion of the rim bearing the greatest amount of erosion. There is a slumped shelf along the inner wall to the north and southwest. The interior floor is uneven in places and is marked by several small craterlets.

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 Pizzetti.

PizzettiLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
C33.1° S121.1° E10 km
W33.8° S117.7° E14 km

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Tyndall (lunar crater) lunar crater

Tyndall is a relatively small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, behind the southeastern limb. It is located very near the western outer rim of the larger crater Pizzetti, and the two are separated only by a few kilometers. To the southwest of Tyndall is the crater Bjerknes, and to the south lies Clark.

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.