Kocher (crater)

Kocher
Coordinates	84°28′S 134°01′W / 84.47°S 134.02°W
Diameter	24.03 km (14.93 mi)
Eponym	Emil Theodor Kocher

Kocher is a lunar impact crater located on the lunar far side near the southern pole. The crater is located southeast of Ashbrook and Drygalski craters. The ejecta blanket of this crater has been suggested as a promising location for sampling South Pole-Aitken basin materials.^[2] It is named after Swiss physician Emil Kocher (1841-1917),^[1] the 1909 Nobel Prize laurette in Physiology or Medicine. The designation was formally adopted by the IAU in January 2009.^[3]

To the northwest is the plateau Mons Kocher,^[4]^[5] with a diameter of around 50 km and an altitude of 4 km above the surrounding terrain. It shows higher than normal abundances of Fe, Th, and pyroxene.^[6]

References

1 2 "Kocher". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
↑ Frueh, T.; et al. (October 2025). "Impact Resurfacing of the Artemis Exploration Zone: Sample Locations for Primordial Crust and South Pole Aitken (SPA) Ejecta". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 130 (10). id. e2025JE009050. Bibcode:2025JGRE..13009050F. doi:10.1029/2025JE009050.
↑ USGS/IAU (Jan 22, 2009). "Kocher". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
↑ "LAC 144" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
↑ "Mons Kocher". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
↑ Moriarty III, D. P.; et al. (May 2026). "Mineralogical Characterization of the Lunar South Polar Region: 2. Exploring Mafic-Bearing Targets With Optimized Traverse Paths at Mons Kocher". JGR Planets. 131 (5) e2025JE009429. doi:10.1029/2025JE009429.

External links

LAC-144 area – Map of southern lunar pole

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

[Frueh_et_al_2025-2] Frueh, T.; et al. (October 2025). "Impact Resurfacing of the Artemis Exploration Zone: Sample Locations for Primordial Crust and South Pole Aitken (SPA) Ejecta". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 130 (10). id. e2025JE009050. Bibcode:2025JGRE..13009050F. doi:10.1029/2025JE009050.

[USGS:_Kocher:_Moon-3] USGS/IAU (Jan 22, 2009). "Kocher". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. Retrieved 2025-09-14.

[LAC-144-4] "LAC 144" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-09.

[GPN_MK-5] "Mons Kocher". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[Moriarty_III_et_al_2026-6] Moriarty III, D. P.; et al. (May 2026). "Mineralogical Characterization of the Lunar South Polar Region: 2. Exploring Mafic-Bearing Targets With Optimized Traverse Paths at Mons Kocher". JGR Planets. 131 (5) e2025JE009429. doi:10.1029/2025JE009429.

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