Sierpinski (crater)

Last updated
Sierpinski
SierpinskiCrater.jpg
LRO image
Coordinates 27°12′S154°30′E / 27.2°S 154.5°E / -27.2; 154.5 Coordinates: 27°12′S154°30′E / 27.2°S 154.5°E / -27.2; 154.5
Diameter 69 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 206° at sunrise
Eponym Wacław F. Sierpiński
Oblique view facing south from Apollo 17 Sierpinski crater AS17-M-1561.jpg
Oblique view facing south from Apollo 17
Another view from Apollo 17 Sierpinski crater AS17-153-23559.jpg
Another view from Apollo 17

Sierpinski is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southeast of the huge walled plain Gagarin, and to the northwest of the crater O'Day and the Mare Ingenii.

Contents

This crater has undergone some wear, particularly along the southwest where Sierpinski Q intrudes slightly into the inner wall. The rim is higher and the inner wall wider along the eastern side. There is a prominent ridge within the interior that extends from near the midpoint to the northern inner wall. There are several small craters along the inner wall in the north and northwest. Only a small portion of the interior floor along the western half is relatively level.

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 Sierpinski.

SierpinskiLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
Q28.3° S153.6° E15 km

Related Research Articles

Amundsen (crater) lunar impact crater

Amundsen is a large lunar impact crater located near the south pole of the Moon, named after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. It lies along the southern lunar limb, and so is viewed from the side by an observer on the Earth. To the northwest is the crater Scott, a formation of similar dimensions that is named for another Antarctic explorer. Nobile is attached to the western rim.

Bianchini (lunar crater)

Bianchini is a lunar impact crater that lies along the northern Jura Mountains that ring the Sinus Iridum, in the northwestern part of the near side of the Moon. It was named after Italian astronomer Francesco Bianchini. The impact of this crater near the edge of the Jura Mountains deposited some material into the Sinus Iridum floor.

ODay (crater) Lunar impact crater

O'Day is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It intrudes into the northwestern edge of Mare Ingenii, and the rim is lower on that side. To the northwest is the crater pair of Holetschek and Sierpinski. Southwest of O'Day lies the crater Seidel. It is named in honour of the American physicist Marcus O'Day.

Boss (crater) Lunar impact crater

Boss is a lunar impact crater that is located along the northeast rim of the Moon's near side. Due to its location, the crater is viewed from the side by observers on the Earth, and its visibility is subject to libration effects.

Fizeau (crater) Lunar impact crater

Fizeau is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the southern hemisphere. Nearby craters of note include Minkowski to the west-northwest, and Eijkman to the southwest.

Barbier (crater) Lunar impact crater

Barbier is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It forms a matched pair with Cyrano to the north-northwest, and it lies to the southeast of the huge walled plain Gagarin. Southwest of Barbier is the crater Sierpinski, and to the southeast is the Mare Ingenii.

Breislak (crater) Lunar impact crater

Breislak is a lunar impact crater that lies within one crater diameter north-northwest of the crater Baco, in the southern part of the Moon. To the north-northwest is the crater Barocius, and to the west lies Clairaut. This crater was named in honor of geologist Scipione Breislak.

Bok (lunar crater)

Bok is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. To the southeast is the crater Sniadecki; to the north is McKellar, and further to the west is De Vries.

Demonax (crater) Lunar impact crater

Demonax is a lunar impact crater near the southern limb of the Moon. This location makes the crater difficult to observe due to foreshortening. The crater is also illuminated at a very low angle, when it is in the sunlit side. Demonax lies just to the north of the crater Scott, one of the south polar formations. To the north-northwest is Boguslawsky.

Dyson (crater) Lunar impact crater

Dyson is a lunar impact crater, 63 kilometers in diameter, that lies on the far side of the Moon, past the northwest limb. It is located in the northern part of the surface, to the northwest of the crater Coulomb, and east of van't Hoff.

Drebbel (crater)

Drebbel is a small lunar impact crater named after Cornelius Drebbel that is located to the northeast of the large walled plain Schickard, in the southwestern part of the Moon. Further to the northeast is the Lacus Excellentiae and the small crater Clausius.

Chauvenet (crater) lunar impact crater

Chauvenet is a lunar impact crater that is located to the northeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy on the far side of the Moon. Less than one crater diameter to the northwest of Chauvenet is the crater Ten Bruggencate.

Congreve (crater) Lunar impact crater

Congreve is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon relative to the Earth, and lies across the lunar equator. It lies to the west-northwest of the massive walled plain Korolev. To the southeast is the crater Icarus, and due north is Zhukovskiy.

Fourier (crater) Lunar impact crater

Fourier is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southwestern part of the Moon's near side, just to the southeast of the crater Vieta. To the northeast is the Mare Humorum. The rim of this crater is roughly circular, but appears oval when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening.

Diderot (crater) Lunar impact crater

Diderot is a small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies within the southwestern interior floor of the huge walled plain Fermi, about midway between the basin midpoint and the southwest rim. The crater is saucer-shaped, with smaller craters located just to the northwest and the north. The inner wall is narrower along the eastern side, and has a pair of ridges along the southern face. This crater is otherwise unremarkable.

Finsen (crater)

Finsen is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere, on the Moon's far side. It is attached to the southeastern exterior of the walled plain Leibnitz, and the ejecta from Finsen covers the southeastern part of Leibnitz's interior floor. To the southwest of Finsen is another walled plain, Von Kármán, partly overlain by Leibnitz.

Frost (crater) Lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon

Frost is a lunar impact crater that is attached to the southern rim of the walled plain Landau, and lies on the far side of the Moon. Just to the east is Petropavlovskiy, and to the northeast along the edge of Landau is Razumov. The crater Douglass is located less than a crater diameter to the west-southwest.

Holetschek (crater)

Holetschek is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, to the south-southeast of the huge walled plain Gagarin. To the east of Holetschek is the crater Sierpinski. To the west-southwest is the larger satellite crater Holetschek R.

Leeuwenhoek (crater)

Leeuwenhoek is a lunar impact crater that lies in the Moon's southern hemisphere, on the far side from the Earth. It is located to the east of the crater Birkeland and the unusual double crater Van de Graaff. To the northeast of Leeuwenhoek is Orlov and to the south is the large walled plain Leibnitz.

Meitner (lunar crater)

Meitner is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon, behind the eastern limb. It lies to the northwest of the crater Kondratyuk, and about a crater diameter to the west of Langemak.

References