Shaler (crater)

Shaler
	Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	32°00′S85°12′W / 32.0°S 85.2°W Coordinates: 32°00′S85°12′W / 32.0°S 85.2°W
Diameter	48 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	86° at sunrise
Eponym	Nathaniel S. Shaler

Last updated August 07, 2019

Shaler is a lunar impact crater that lies on the southeast interior edge of the Montes Cordillera mountain ring that surrounds the immense Mare Orientale formation. It is located near the southwest limb of the Moon on the near side, and so is viewed nearly from on edge from the Earth. Just to the northwest of the crater is the slightly smaller crater Wright.

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.

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.

Montes Cordillera is a mountain range on the Moon. This feature forms the outer wall of peaks that surround the Mare Orientale impact basin, the inner ring being formed by the Montes Rook. The center of the range is located at selenographic coordinates 17.5° S, 81.6° W, and the diameter is 574 km (357 mi).

The long, irregular Vallis Bouvard valley begins at the southern rim of Shaler, and winds its way to the south-southeast towards the crater Baade. This is one of several such valleys that radiate away from the southeast edge of the Mare Orientale impact basin, the other two being Vallis Inghirami and Vallis Baade.

Vallis Bouvard is a 284-km-long valley on the Moon, centered at 38.3°S 83.1°W. It begins at the southern rim of the crater Shaler, and winds its way to the south-southeast towards Baade. This is one of several such valleys that radiate away from the southeast edge of the Mare Orientale circular impact basin, the other two being Vallis Inghirami and Vallis Baade. It was formed by a secondary crater chain. The valley was named after Alexis Bouvard.

Baade is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southwest limb of the Moon on the near side, to the southwest of the enormous Mare Orientale impact basin. The area to the east of this crater forms the junction between the 280-km-long Vallis Bouvard to the north and the narrower, 160-km-long Vallis Baade to the south-southeast. Both valleys radiate away from the impact basin to the north.

Vallis Inghirami is a valley on far side of the Moon which is a natural satellite of planet Earth. Diameter of the valley is about 145 km. Lunar co-ordinates of the valley are 43.8°S 72.2°W. Valley is named after Giovanni Inghirami. Valley was approved by IAU in 1964.

Shaler has been affected by its location on the southern edge of the Montes Cordillera, as the floor is rough and irregular, particularly toward the southwest where several small, parallel clefts appear in the surface. The rim is nearly circular, although slightly flattened along the south edge, and the edge remains sharply defined with little appearance of erosion.

Related Research Articles

Bohr is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western lunar limb, in the area that is affected by librations. It is attached to the southwestern rim of the larger, eroded Vasco da Gama formation, and to the southeast of the crater Einstein. The crater was observed for the first time in 1963 by Arthus and Ewen Whitaker in the book Rectified Lunar Atlas.

Golitsyn is a lunar impact crater that lies beyond the western limb on the far side of the Moon. It is located in the southwestern portion of the Montes Rook mountain range that forms one of the rings around the Mare Orientale impact site. The crater is situated in the midst of rugged, irregular terrain that contains only a handful of other significant craters.

Drude is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, in the rugged Montes Cordillera range that forms the outer ring around the Mare Orientale impact basin. It is located just behind the west-southwest limb, and this area is sometimes brought into sight from Earth during favorable librations. However, even at such times, the crater is viewed from the edge and little detail can be seen.

Focas is a small lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, just past the southwestern limb. In this location the crater is occasionally brought into view due to libration, but not much detail can be seen because the crater is viewed from the side.

Lagrange is a lunar impact crater that is attached to the northwestern rim of the crater Piazzi. It lies near the southwestern limb of the Moon, and the appearance is oblong due to foreshortening. To the northwest of this feature is the Montes Cordillera, a ring-shaped mountain range that surrounds the immense Mare Orientale impact basin.

Catalán is a small lunar impact crater that lies almost along the southwest limb of the Moon. At this position the crater is ill-suited for observation from the Earth as it is viewed almost from the side, and visibility is subject to libration effects. It lies to the west of the somewhat larger crater Baade, and south-southeast of Graff. This region is located in the outer southeastern part of the skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin, and the nearby surface is rugged and streaky.

Chant is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, behind the southwest limb as seen from the Earth. It lies within the southwestern part of the blanket of ejecta surrounding the Mare Orientale, beyond the Montes Cordillera mountain ring. To the west-northwest is the large walled plain Blackett. Southward is the crater Mendel.

Couder is a small lunar impact crater that is located just behind the western limb of the Moon, in a region of the surface that is brought into view during favorable librations. It lies on the inner foothills of the Montes Cordillera, a ring-shaped mountain range that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin.

Inghirami is a lunar impact crater that is located toward the southwestern limb of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the large walled plain Schickard. Northwest of Inghirami is the wide Vallis Inghirami, a wide, straight valley that is radial to the Mare Orientale impact basin. The valley has a length of about 140 kilometers and ends at the northern edge of the crater.

Hartwig is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon. It is attached to the eastern rim of the prominent crater Schlüter, to the northeast of the Montes Cordillera mountain range that surrounds the Mare Orientale. To the east-northeast of Hartwig is the larger crater Riccioli.

Schlüter is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon's near side. It lies along the northwestern face of the Montes Cordillera mountain range that encircles the Mare Orientale. Nearly attached to the eastern rim is the damaged crater Hartwig.

Eichstadt is a lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern section of the Montes Cordillera range that encircles the Mare Orientale impact basin. It lies toward the southwestern limb of the Moon, and so appears oblong when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening. Over 200 kilometers to the east of Eichstadt are the craters Darwin and Lamarck, and to the south is Krasnov.

Krasnov is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Montes Cordillera range, near the southwest limb of the Moon. From the Earth this crater appears foreshortened, and visibility can be affected by libration. To the north of Krasnov is the crater Eichstadt and to the southwest is Shaler, both along the edge of the Montes Cordillera mountain ring.

Wright is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon. It lies on the irregular plain between the Montes Cordillera and Montes Rook, two ring-shaped mountain ranges that surround the Mare Orientale. Just to the southeast of the crater is the slightly larger crater Shaler. To the north of Wright is the crater Pettit.

Chalonge is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the larger crater Lewis, in the outer skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin. To the southeast are the Montes Cordillera, a ring of mountains that encircle the Mare Orientale formation.

Steklov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, past the southwestern limb. It lies in the outer skirt of ejecta from the Mare Orientale impact basin, just to the southwest of the Montes Cordillera ring of mountains. About four crater diameters to the southwest is the slightly smaller crater Chant.

Ellerman is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies within the outer blanket of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin, and is located to the west of the Montes Cordillera mountain range. To the northwest of Ellerman is the larger crater Gerasimovich.

Grachev is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the northwest of the Mare Orientale impact basin, in the outer skirt of ejecta surrounding the Montes Cordillera mountain ring. Passing along the southwestern edge of Grachev is the Catena Michelson, a valley-like formation composed of a linear chain of small craters. This feature is radial to the Mare Orientale basin. To the north is the crater Leuschner.

Lewis is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the western edge of the Montes Cordillera mountains that surround the Mare Orientale impact basin. This crater has been heavily disrupted by the formation of the basin, and it is covered by ejecta from the impact leaving only an uneven depression in the surface. The outer rim is roughly circular, and the interior is uneven.

References

Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS . Retrieved 2007-08-05.
Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report . Retrieved 2007-10-24.
Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763.
Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
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Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
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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.

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.

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.

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Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	32°00′S85°12′W / 32.0°S 85.2°W / -32.0; -85.2 Coordinates: 32°00′S85°12′W / 32.0°S 85.2°W / -32.0; -85.2
Diameter	48 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	86° at sunrise
Eponym	Nathaniel S. Shaler