Encke (crater)

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Encke
Encke crater 4138 h1.jpg
Coordinates 4°36′N36°36′W / 4.6°N 36.6°W / 4.6; -36.6
Diameter 28 km
Depth 0.8 km
Colongitude 37° at sunrise
Eponym Johann F. Encke
The crater area in a Selenochromatic Image (Si) Area del cratere Kepler.jpg
The crater area in a Selenochromatic Image (Si)
Oblique view from Apollo 12 Encke crater AS12-51-7551.jpg
Oblique view from Apollo 12

Encke is a lunar impact crater that is located on the western edge of the Mare Insularum, to the south-southeast of the crater Kepler. The small crater Kunowsky lies to the east-southeast on the mare.

Contents

The crater is named after German mathematician and astronomer Johann Franz Encke. [1]

The rim of Encke is low and somewhat polygonal in shape. The tiny craterlet Encke N lies across the western rim. The floor is somewhat uneven, and is covered in ray material from the nearby Kepler. The high albedo of this ejecta makes Encke a bright feature when the Sun is at a high elevation over the lunar surface.

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 Encke.

EnckeLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
B2.4° N36.8° W12 km
C0.7° N36.4° W9 km
E0.3° N40.1° W9 km
G4.8° N38.8° W7 km
H4.0° N37.3° W4 km
J5.2° N39.5° W5 km
K1.4° N37.2° W4 km
M4.5° N35.1° W3 km
N4.6° N37.1° W4 km
T3.4° N38.0° W91 km
X0.9° N40.3° W3 km
Y5.9° N36.4° W3 km

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References

  1. "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | Encke". usgs.gov. International Astronomical Union . Retrieved August 29, 2017.