Van Gent (crater)

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Van Gent
Normal vangent.jpg
LRO image
Coordinates 15°24′N160°24′E / 15.4°N 160.4°E / 15.4; 160.4 Coordinates: 15°24′N160°24′E / 15.4°N 160.4°E / 15.4; 160.4
Diameter 43 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 200° at sunrise
Eponym Hendrik van Gent
Oblique Apollo 16 image, facing north. Van Gent at center, Van Gent X in upper left. Van Gent crater AS16-M-0725.jpg
Oblique Apollo 16 image, facing north. Van Gent at center, Van Gent X in upper left.
Another Apollo 16 image with Van Gent X at center and Van Gent in lower left Van Gent and Van Gent X craters AS16-118-18935.jpg
Another Apollo 16 image with Van Gent X at center and Van Gent in lower left

Van Gent is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon that is located to the south-southeast of the larger crater Konstantinov. About an equal distance to the east-southeast is Spencer Jones and to the southeast is Papaleksi.

Lunar craters craters on Earths moon

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

The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the Earth 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 crater joins the satellite crater Van Gent X to the northwest to form a double crater. Van Gent also partly overlies what appears to be an older crater remnant to the southeast. This in turn is joined to Van Gent N, which is joined to Van Gent P along its southeastern side. The result is a crater chain of sorts consisting of five craters forming an arc with the concave side facing to the west.

The rim of Van Gent is slightly distorted from a circle due to the craters with which it has formed. The rim edge is somewhat worn, and a small craterlet lies along the shared rim with Van Gent X. The interior is relatively featureless, being marked only by a few tiny craterlets.

The crater is the final resting place of Chinese micro-satellite Longjiang 2, which was crashed there in mid-2019.

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 Van Gent.

Van GentLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
D16.3° N161.7° E35 km
N13.5° N160.0° E32 km
P12.6° N159.4° E47 km
T15.5° N157.2° E16 km
U17.0° N157.1° E20 km
X16.4° N159.7° E38 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 US government agency responsible for civilian space programs, and aeronautical and aerospace research

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.