Vertregt (crater)

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Vertregt
Vertregt crater 2033 med.jpg
Coordinates 19°48′S171°06′E / 19.8°S 171.1°E / -19.8; 171.1 Coordinates: 19°48′S171°06′E / 19.8°S 171.1°E / -19.8; 171.1
Diameter 187 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 189° at sunrise
Eponym Marinus Vertregt
Image from Apollo 17 at low sun angle Vertregt crater AS17-M-1386.jpg
Image from Apollo 17 at low sun angle

Vertregt is the ancient remnant of a large lunar impact crater. It is located on the far side of the Moon, to the north of the unusual walled plain Van de Graaff. The prominent crater Aitken lies across the northeast rim of Vertregt, and Zwicky is attached to the northwestern rim.

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.

Vertregt has been heavily eroded and reshaped by subsequent events, leaving only a few segments of the outer rim still visible. The northwestern section of the rim is the most intact portion, although even this arcing ridge is marked by small craterlets.

The interior consists of rugged ridges and smaller impacts, most prominently the crater pair of Vertregt L and Vertregt K in the southeast. There is a wide rift leading from the southern end of the crater floor towards Van de Graaff.

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 Vertregt.

VertregtLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
J21.5° S174.3° E17 km
K20.1° S172.0° E27 km
L21.1° S171.5° E38 km
P23.6° S170.0° E24 km
R21.8° S167.1° E25 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.