![]() Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image | |
Coordinates | 28°24′N144°18′E / 28.4°N 144.3°E Coordinates: 28°24′N144°18′E / 28.4°N 144.3°E |
---|---|
Diameter | 31 km |
Depth | Unknown |
Colongitude | 216° at sunrise |
Eponym | Valentina V. Tereshkova |
Tereshkova is a relatively small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located along the western perimeter of the Mare Moscoviense, and to the southeast of the crater Feoktistov.
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.
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.
It is named for cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. Normally craters are named after dead people; Tereshkova was among the first group of living people to have a crater named for them. [1]
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a member of the Russian State Duma, engineer, and former cosmonaut. She is the first and youngest woman to have flown in space with a solo mission on the Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963. She orbited the Earth 48 times, spent almost three days in space, and remains the only woman to have been on a solo space mission.
The rim of this crater resembles a rounded hexagon in outline. There is a small, cup-shaped crater near the outer edge of the southern rim. The eastern ramparts of this crater merge with the edge of the Mare Moscoviense. The rim edge is worn, but only tiny craterlets pit the surface of the edge and the crater interior.
In geometry, a hexagon is a six-sided polygon or 6-gon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Tereshkova.
Tereshkova | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
U | 28.7° N | 142.8° E | 23 km |
Nikolaev is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located north of the Mare Moscoviense and south of the larger crater Von Neumann. Because it is on the far side of the Moon, it is not visible from Earth. It is named after the Soviet cosmonaut, Andriyan Nikolaev.
Fracastorius is the lava-flooded remnant of an ancient lunar impact crater located at the southern edge of Mare Nectaris. To the northwest of this formation lies the crater Beaumont, while to the northeast is Rosse.
Beer is a relatively small lunar impact crater located on the Mare Imbrium, to the east of the crater Timocharis. It was named after German astronomer Wilhelm W. Beer. Just to the northwest is the matching twin Feuillée.
Doppelmayer is the remains of a lunar impact crater that lies on the southwest edge of Mare Humorum. It was named after the German mathematician and astronomer Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr. To the south-southeast is another flooded crater designated Lee, and to the southeast is Vitello. Just to the east-northeast of Doppelmayer lies the nearly submerged crater Puiseux.
Abel is an ancient lunar impact crater that lies near the southeast limb of the Moon's near side. It is located to the south of the crater Barnard, at the northwest edge of the Mare Australe.
Appleton is a heavily eroded lunar impact crater that lies in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. To the northwest are the craters Von Neumann and Campbel. The smaller Golovin lies to the northeast, while further to the southwest is the Mare Moscoviense.
Archytas is a lunar impact crater that protrudes into the northern edge of Mare Frigoris. To the northwest is the comparably sized crater Timaeus, and the smaller Protagoras lies in the opposite direction to the southeast. Further to the southwest, beyond the opposite edge of the mare, is the dark-floored crater Plato.
Komarov is a lunar impact crater that lies across the southeastern edge of Mare Moscoviense, on the northern hemisphere of the far side of the Moon. It is a complex feature with an irregular appearance.
Belyaev is a lunar impact crater that is attached to the outer edge of the Mare Moscoviense, on the far side of the Moon. It is a worn formation with a small crater pair overlaying the southern rim, and several smaller craters across the relatively irregular interior.
Crozier is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southwest edge of Mare Fecunditatis, a lunar mare in the eastern part of the Moon's near side. It lies to the east-northeast of the prominent crater Colombo, and southeast of the small crater Bellot.
Eimmart is a lunar impact crater that is located near the east-northeastern limb of the Moon, to the northeast of the Mare Crisium. The northern and eastern outer rim of this crater borders on the narrow Mare Anguis. To the northwest of Eimmart are the smaller crater Delmotte and the prominent Cleomedes.
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.
Donner is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the northeast of the Mare Australe, behind the southeastern limb of the Moon. During favorable librations this part of the lunar surface can be brought into view of the Earth, but the site is viewed from the edge and so not much detail can be seen.
Feoktistov is a small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies in the northern hemisphere, to the northwest of the Mare Moscoviense. This crater has a small outward extension along the northern side, giving it the appearance of two overlapping craters that have merged. There are slight indentations of the rim along the east and northwest sides. The rim is otherwise rounded and not significantly worn. Apart from an irregular strip in the northeast, the floor is relatively featureless.
Kohlschütter is a lunar impact crater that cannot be viewed directly from the Earth as it lies on the Moon's far side. It is located a couple of hundred kilometers to the southeast of the Mare Moscoviense, and due south of the smaller crater Nagaoka. It is a relatively isolated formation surrounded by a multitude of smaller impacts typical of the battered far side.
Kurchatov is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side. It is just to the southwest of the crater Wiener, and farther to the southeast of Bridgman. A couple of crater diameters to the south of Kurchatov is the northern edge of the Mare Moscoviense.
Leonov is a small lunar impact crater that lies to the south of Mare Moscoviense, one of the few maria on the far side of the Moon. This crater has a heart-shaped outline, due to an outward bulge along the northwest side. The rim of Leonov is worn, and several tiny craterlets lie along the edge. The inner walls and interior floor are relatively featureless.
Nagaoka is a lunar impact crater that lies to the southeast of the Mare Moscoviense, on the far side of the Moon. To the east of Nagaoka is the somewhat larger Konstantinov.
Shatalov is a relatively small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the west-southwest of the Mare Moscoviense, one of the few lunar maria on the far side. To the east-southeast of Shatalov along the edge of the Mare Moscoviense is the larger crater Belyaev.
Titov is a relatively small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. The most unusual aspect of this crater is that it is located entirely within the Mare Moscoviense, one of the few maria found on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the northwest of the crater Komarov, in the northern half of the mare. It is named for cosmonaut Gherman Titov, the second person to orbit the Earth.
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.