Planet | Mercury |
---|---|
Coordinates | 86°05′N132°47′W / 86.09°N 132.79°W |
Quadrangle | Borealis |
Diameter | 27.4 km |
Eponym | Mahananda Sapkota |
Sapkota is a crater on Mercury, located near the north pole. It was named by the IAU in 2015, after Nepalese poet Mahananda Sapkota. [1]
S band radar data from the Arecibo Observatory collected between 1999 and 2005 indicates a lack of a radar-bright area within the interior of Sapkota, despite the fact that the floor of the crater is in permanent shadow. [2] Many nearby craters do have radar-bright areas which likely indicate water ice deposits.
Homer is a crater on Mercury. It is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury.
Moody is an impact crater on Mercury.
Glinka is a pit-floored crater on Mercury, which was discovered in 1974 by Mariner 10 spacecraft. It was named by the IAU in 2008, after Russian composer Mikhail Glinka.
Scarlatti is a pit-floored crater on Mercury, which was discovered in 1974 by the Mariner 10 spacecraft. It has a prominent peak ring, and it is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury. The crater floor is covered by the smooth plains material. The crater displays an arcuate collapse feature along the northeastern peak ring. The size of the pit, which was first noticed in MESSENGER images obtained in January 2008, is 38 × 12 km. Such a feature may have resulted from collapse of a magma chamber underlying the central peak ring complex of the crater. The collapse feature is an analog of Earth's volcanic calderas. Scarlatti is thought to have the same age as the Caloris basin.
Hokusai is a rayed impact crater on Mercury, which was discovered in 1991 by ground-based radar observations conducted at Goldstone Observatory. The crater was initially known as feature B. Its appearance was so dissimilar to other impact craters that it was once thought to be a shield volcano. However improved radar images by the Arecibo Observatory obtained later in 2000–2005 clearly showed that feature B is an impact crater with an extensive ray system. The bright appearance of rays in the radio images indicates that the crater is geologically young; fresh impact ejecta has a rough surface, which leads to strong scattering of radio waves.
Whipple is a lunar impact crater located on the lunar far side near the northern pole. The crater is located East of the prominent craters Byrd and Peary; the latter of which it is located on the rim of.
Aksakov is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 174 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on April 24, 2012. Aksakov is named for the Russian author Sergey Aksakov, who lived from 1791 to 1859 C.E.
Despréz is a crater on Mercury with a diameter of 47.05 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1979. Despréz is named for the French composer Josquin des Prez, who lived from 1440 to 1521.
Tolkien is one of the northernmost craters on Mercury, located in the Borealis quadrangle at 88.82 N, 211.08 W. It is 50 km in diameter. It was named after the South African born British writer J. R. R. Tolkien. The name was approved by IAU's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature on August 6, 2012. Since Tolkien is very close to the north pole, and Mercury has almost no axial tilt, Tolkien receives very little sunlight. S band radar data from the Arecibo Observatory collected between 1999 and 2005 indicates a radar-bright area covers the entire floor of Tolkien, which is probably indicative of a water ice deposit.
Carolan is a crater on Mercury. Its name was suggested by an Irishman, Fergal Donnelly, and two Americans, Joseph Brusseau and Deane Morrison, in a naming contest which was eventually adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 2015. Carolan is named for the Irish composer and performer Turlough O'Carolan, who lived from 1670 to 1738 C.E. The craters Kulthum, Enheduanna, Karsh, and Rivera were also named as part of the contest.
Aneirin is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 467 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on June 13, 2014. Aneirin is named for the Welsh poet Aneirin. Prior to naming, the crater was referred to as b37.
Vonnegut is a crater on Mercury, near the north pole. It was named by the IAU in 2017 after the American author Kurt Vonnegut. Part of Vonnegut's 1959 novel The Sirens of Titan takes place on Mercury. The crater was referred to as e5 in scientific literature prior to naming.
Yoshikawa is a crater on Mercury, near the north pole. It was named by the IAU in 2012 after the Japanese novelist Eiji Yoshikawa.
Laxness is a crater on Mercury, located near the north pole. It was named by the IAU in 2013, after Icelandic writer Halldór Laxness.
Fuller is a crater on Mercury, located near the north pole. It was named by the IAU in 2013, after American engineer and architect Richard Buckminster Fuller.
Tryggvadóttir is a crater on Mercury. The north pole of Mercury is located next to its northern rim. It was named by the IAU in 2012 after the Icelandic artist Nína Tryggvadóttir.
Chesterton is a crater on Mercury, near the north pole. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2012, after the English author G. K. Chesterton.
Gordimer is a crater on Mercury, near the north pole. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2019, after the South African writer Nadine Gordimer.
Seuss is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2012. It is named for the American author and cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.