Scoresby (crater)

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Scoresby
Scoresby crater 4116 h3.jpg
Lunar Orbiter 4 image (Cluster of dots near center is blemish on original)
Coordinates 77°42′N14°06′E / 77.7°N 14.1°E / 77.7; 14.1 Coordinates: 77°42′N14°06′E / 77.7°N 14.1°E / 77.7; 14.1
Diameter 56 km
Depth 2.4 km
Colongitude 350° at sunrise
Eponym William Scoresby

Scoresby is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern part of the Moon's near side. It is nearly attached to the crater Challis along the north-northwestern rim, and is located just to the north of the walled plain Meton. Due to its location, this crater appears highly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, appearing elliptical in shape. It is, however, very nearly circular when seen from above.

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.

Moon Earths natural satellite

Earth's Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the planet and acts as its only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.

This formation has a sharp-edged outer wall that has not been significantly worn and is not marked by impacts. It has an outer rampart that extends outwards to nearly half a crater diameter, except where intersected by Challis in the north. The wide inner walls display an appearance of having been terraced, but these have been degraded by a multitude of lesser impacts over time.

Most of the inner floor of Scoresby is level and flat, except in the northeast where it is furrowed by some rough terrain. At the midpoint of the interior is a prominent central peak formation consisting of three mountainous ridges. There is a tiny craterlet just to the west of the central peaks, and a slightly larger craterlet along the northern interior wall.

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 Scoresby.

ScoresbyLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
K76.3° N2.9° E23 km
M75.6° N8.1° E54 km
P75.8° N13.0° E26 km
Q77.4° N8.7° E40 km
W74.5° N11.2° E10 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.