Babcock (crater)

Babcock
	Apollo 16 Mapping Camera image
Coordinates	4°08′N 94°08′E / 4.13°N 94.14°E
Diameter	95.28 km (59.20 mi)
Depth	2.3 km (1.4 mi)
Colongitude	267° at sunrise
Eponym	Harold D. Babcock

Babcock is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies on the northeastern edge of Mare Smythii, to the southeast of Mare Marginis.^[3] To the south of Babcock is the crater Purkynĕ, and to the east-northeast lies Erro.^[4] Babcock is located in a region of the Moon's surface that is occasionally brought into view during favorable librations, although it is seen from the edge and so little detail can be discerned from an observer on the Earth.

The rim of Babcock has been eroded, notched and modified by subsequent impacts, leaving a somewhat irregular and uneven outer rim.^[5] The interior has been resurfaced by mare materials, and is relatively flat. In place of a central peak, a small crater designated Zasyadko lies very close to the crater midpoint. A smaller crater lies on the interior near the northern edge.^[6]^: 64

The plains material in and around Babcock has a moderate albedo that is typically darker than the surrounding material. It contains higher concentrations of titanium, iron, magnesium, and thorium than is typical for the region.^[7] The area about Babcock has been subject to past inundations by basaltic lava flows, leaving the surface relatively flat and the remnants of ghost craters visible as curved ridges in the ground.

This crater is named after American astronomer Harold D. Babcock (1882-1968).^[1] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.^[8]

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 Babcock.^[9]

Babcock^[6]^: 292	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
H	3.0° N	96.5° E	63 km
K	1.2° N	95.2° E	10 km

References

1 2 "Babcock". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
↑ 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.
↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
↑ "LAC 64" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
↑ Gibson, McGuire; McMahon, Augusta (1995). "Investigation of the Early Dynastic-Akkadian Transition: Report of the 18th and 19th Seasons of Excavation in Area WF, Nippur". Iraq. 57: 1–39. doi:10.2307/4200399. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 4200399.
1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
↑ Clark, Pamela E.; Hawke, B. R. (May 1991). "The Lunar Farside: The Nature of Highlands East of Mare Smythii". Earth, Moon, and Planets. 53 (2): 93–107. Bibcode:1991EM&P...53...93C. doi:10.1007/BF00057425.
↑ Menzel, D. H.; et al. (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.
↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

Sources

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.
Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.

External links

Babcock at The Moon Wiki

[GPN-1] 1 2 "Babcock". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[Pike_1976-2] 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.

[Byrne_2008-3] Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.

[LAC-64-4] "LAC 64" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-09.

[Gibson_McMahon_1995-5] Gibson, McGuire; McMahon, Augusta (1995). "Investigation of the Early Dynastic-Akkadian Transition: Report of the 18th and 19th Seasons of Excavation in Area WF, Nippur". Iraq. 57: 1–39. doi:10.2307/4200399. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 4200399.

[Bussey_Spudis_2004-6] 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.

[Clark_Hawke_1991-7] Clark, Pamela E.; Hawke, B. R. (May 1991). "The Lunar Farside: The Nature of Highlands East of Mare Smythii". Earth, Moon, and Planets. 53 (2): 93–107. Bibcode:1991EM&P...53...93C. doi:10.1007/BF00057425.

[Menzel_et_al_1971-8] Menzel, D. H.; et al. (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.

[Grego_2015-9] Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

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Satellite craters

References

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