Neper (crater)
 LRO image | |
| Coordinates | 8°48′N 84°30′E / 8.8°N 84.5°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 137 km (85 miles) |
| Depth | 4.45[1] km |
| Colongitude | 343° at sunrise |
| Formation | Nectarian[2] |
| Eponym | John Napier |
Neper is an old lunar impact crater located near the eastern limb of the Moon. Due to its location the crater must be viewed during a suitable libration, and is very foreshortened. The crater lies on the south edge of Mare Marginis, to the east of the crater Jansky. To the northwest across the Mare Marginis is the crater Goddard.
On the lunar geologic timescale, Neper is one of the largest craters of Nectarian age.[2] The crater inner walls have worn terraces, with low rim edges at the northern and southern extremes. The crater floor is dark and flat, with a central peak and several crater impacts near the west rim. The most notable of these is a small crater near the north-northwestern edge. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the central peak.[3]
This crater is named after the Scottish mathematician, physicist, astronomer and astrologer John Napier.
Satellite craters
[edit]By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Neper.
| Neper | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 9.2° N | 80.8° E | 40 km |
| H | 10.4° N | 78.2° E | 9 km |
| Q | 8.0° N | 83.1° E | 12 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
- Neper G - See Virchow (crater).
- Neper K - See Tacchini (crater).
References
[edit]- ↑ Pike, R. J. (September 1976). "Crater Dimensions from Apollo Data and Supplemental Sources". The Moon. 15 (3–4): 463–477. Bibcode:1976Moon...15..463P. doi:10.1007/BF00562253.
- 1 2 Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. doi:10.3133/pp1348. Table 9-4.
- ↑ Donaldson Hanna, K. L.; et al. (July 2014). "Global assessment of pure crystalline plagioclase across the Moon and implications for the evolution of the primary crust". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 119 (7): 1516–1545. Bibcode:2014JGRE..119.1516D. doi:10.1002/2013JE004476.
Sources
[edit]- Gladstone-Millar, Lynne (March 29, 2003). "Forgotten genius still burns bright". Edinburgh News. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- 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. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. 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.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.