Eratosthenes (crater)

Eratosthenes
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image
Coordinates14°28′N 11°19′W / 14.47°N 11.32°W / 14.47; -11.32
Diameter59 km
Depth3.6 km
Colongitude12° at sunrise
EponymEratosthenes
Eratosthenes (lower left of center) and surroundings from Apollo 17. NASA image.
Eratosthenes crater. Photo taken from Earth. Author: Georgi Georgiev, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

Eratosthenes crater is a relatively deep lunar impact crater that lies on the boundary between the Mare Imbrium and Sinus Aestuum mare regions. It forms the western terminus of the Montes Apenninus mountain range. It is named after ancient Greek astronomer Eratosthenes of Cyrene,[1] who estimated the circumference of the Earth, and the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

Description

The crater has a well-defined circular rim, terraced inner wall, central mountain peaks, an irregular floor, and an outer rampart of ejecta. It lacks a ray system of its own, but is overlain by rays from the prominent crater Copernicus to the south-west.

The Eratosthenian period in the lunar geological timescale is named after this crater, though it does not define the start of this time period.[2] The crater is believed to have been formed about 3.2 billion years ago.

At low Sun-angles, this crater is prominent due to the shadow cast by the rim. When the Sun is directly overhead, however, Eratosthenes visually blends into the surroundings, and it becomes more difficult for an observer to locate it. The rays from Copernicus lie across this area, and their higher albedo serves as a form of camouflage.

In 1851 Shropshire Astronomer Henry Blunt constructed a model of the Moon's surface showing Eratosthenes. The model is based on observations made by Blunt with a reflecting telescope from his home in Shrewsbury and was displayed in the same year at the Great Exhibition, London.

From 1910 to the 1920s, William H. Pickering noted dark patches in the crater that varied in a regular manner over each lunar day. He first put forward the speculative idea that these patches appeared to migrate across the surface, suggestive of vegetation. Pickering believed that the Moon had a thicker atmosphere and reported seeing climatic variations such as frost and snow, leading him to refer to the crater as the "Gardens of Eratosthenes".[3] Later his views would change, and he would come to believe that the vegetation was instead "swarms of animal life",[4][5] which he often referred to as swarms of insects, or "lunar insects". The scientific community did not share his enthusiasm for these ideas,[6] but they received a degree of attention in the popular press of the time primarily due to Pickering's reputation.

Detail map of Mare Imbrium's features. Eratosthenes is marked "L".

Satellite craters

Eratosthenes and its 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 Eratosthenes.

Eratosthenes Coordinates Diameter, km
A 18°20′N 8°20′W / 18.34°N 8.33°W / 18.34; -8.33 (Eratosthenes A) 5.7
B 18°42′N 8°42′W / 18.70°N 8.70°W / 18.70; -8.70 (Eratosthenes B) 5.3
C 16°53′N 12°23′W / 16.89°N 12.39°W / 16.89; -12.39 (Eratosthenes C) 5.2
D 17°26′N 10°54′W / 17.44°N 10.90°W / 17.44; -10.90 (Eratosthenes D) 3.8
E 17°56′N 10°53′W / 17.93°N 10.89°W / 17.93; -10.89 (Eratosthenes E) 3.8
F 17°41′N 9°55′W / 17.69°N 9.91°W / 17.69; -9.91 (Eratosthenes F) 4.0
H 13°19′N 12°15′W / 13.31°N 12.25°W / 13.31; -12.25 (Eratosthenes H) 3.5
K 12°51′N 9°16′W / 12.85°N 9.26°W / 12.85; -9.26 (Eratosthenes K) 4.3
M 14°01′N 13°35′W / 14.02°N 13.59°W / 14.02; -13.59 (Eratosthenes M) 3.5
Z 13°45′N 14°06′W / 13.75°N 14.10°W / 13.75; -14.10 (Eratosthenes Z) 0.6

References

  1. ^ "Eratosthenes". usgs.gov. Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  2. ^ Wilhelms D. (1987). "Chapter 12. Eratosthenian System" (PDF). Geologic History of the Moon. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1348. pp. 249–250. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-14.
  3. ^ Sheehan, William; Dobbins, Thomas A. (2001). Epic Moon: A History of Lunar Exploration in the Age of the Telescope. Vol. 410. Willmann-Bell. pp. 250, 251. ISBN 0943396700.
  4. ^ Pickering, W. H. (1919). "Eratosthenes I, a study for the amateur". Popular Astronomy. 27: 579–583. Bibcode:1919PA.....27..579P.
  5. ^ Pickering, W. H. (1924). "Eratosthenes". Popular Astronomy. 32 (6): 392–404. Bibcode:1924PA.....32..393P.
  6. ^ Westfall, John; Sheehan, William (2014). Celestial Shadows: Eclipses, Transits, and Occultations. Vol. 410. Springer. p. 73. ISBN 9781493915354.

Further reading

  • Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature (PDF). NASA RP-1097. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  • Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  • Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  • Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (2003). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-54414-6.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-852-33193-1.

External links

  • Media related to Eratosthenes (crater) at Wikimedia Commons
  • Eratosthenes at The Moon Wiki
  • Lunar Orbiter 5 photos of Eratosthenes: frame 133, frame 134, frame 135, frame 136
  • PDF newsletter - The Lunar Observer: Feature of the Month - MARCH 2006: FOCUS ON: Eratosthenes
  • LAC 58, a map of the region including Eratosthenes and Copernicus
  • LROC pages:
    • Eratosthenes Crater and the Lunar Timescale
    • Terraces in Eratosthenes Crater
    • Eratosthenes Central Peak
  • Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (31 October 1996). "The Barren Moon". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA.
  • Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (31 October 1998). "Bats and the Barren Moon". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA., a repeat of October 31, 1996 APOD (of Hallowe'en)
  • Wood, Chuck (June 26, 2004). "Albedo & Rays". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  • Wood, Chuck (September 28, 2004). "Unknown Luna 19". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2017-10-06. - featuring three released photos from Luna 19 from 1971 - it includes Eratosthenes in the third one
  • Wood, Chuck (December 10, 2004). "Overlooked Secondaries". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  • Wood, Chuck (February 27, 2005). "One Crater's Nomenclature". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  • Wood, Chuck (February 2, 2006). "Geologic Map". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
  • Wood, Chuck (July 29, 2006). "A Moth Lover's View of the Moon". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
  • Wood, Chuck (April 9, 2007). "Secondary Matters". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
  • Wood, Chuck (November 9, 2008). "A Fence". Lunar Photo of the Day.
  • Wood, Chuck (April 10, 2009). "A Bucket of Darkness". Lunar Photo of the Day.
  • Wood, Chuck (April 6, 2010). "Flat Out of Luck". Lunar Photo of the Day.
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