Copernicus (moon crater)
| Copernicus | ||
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| position | 9.62 ° N , 20.08 ° W | |
| diameter | 93 km | |
| depth | 3800 m | |
| Card sheet | 58 (PDF) | |
| Named after | Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) | |
| Named since | 1935 | |
| Unless otherwise stated, the information comes from the entry in the IAU / USGS database | ||
Copernicus (also spelled Kopernikus ) is a large lunar crater of the Ringgebirge type , which was named in 1935 by the International Astronomical Union after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543). It has a diameter of 90–95 km.
What is unusual about the impact crater is that it has not just one, but several central mountains that are up to 1.2 km high. The crater wall is clearly terraced and little eroded because it represents one of the most recent large impacts on the moon. While the crater floor is about 3800 m lower than the ridges, they only tower over the surrounding plain about 900 meters. Such great differences in altitude are rare.
Copernicus is - similar to the craters Tycho and Kepler - the starting point of a radiation system that is particularly easy to see when the moon is full .
As part of the Apollo program , the Ringgebirge was a possible location for a manned moon landing and was shortlisted for the Apollo 20 mission . However, this space flight was canceled in 1970 for financial reasons before a decision was made.
The Copernican period of the lunar timescale was named after this crater.
| Letter | position | diameter | link |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. | 9.51 ° N , 18.92 ° W | 3 km | [1] |
| B. | 7.47 ° N , 22.41 ° W | 8 kilometers | [2] |
| C. | 7.11 ° N , 15.47 ° W | 6 km | [3] |
| D. | 12.18 ° N , 24.82 ° W | 5 km | [4] |
| E. | 6.39 ° N , 22.73 ° W | 4 km | [5] |
| F. | 5.88 ° N , 22.26 ° W | 3 km | [6] |
| G | 5.91 ° N , 21.55 ° W | 4 km | [7] |
| H | 6.88 ° N , 18.32 ° W | 4 km | [8th] |
| J | 10.1 ° N , 23.97 ° W | 6 km | [9] |
| L. | 13.47 ° N , 17.1 ° W | 4 km | [10] |
| N | 6.89 ° N , 23.35 ° W | 6 km | [11] |
| P | 10.07 ° N , 16.07 ° W | 4 km | [12] |
| R. | 8.04 ° N , 16.87 ° W | 4 km | [13] |
Individual evidence
- ^ John Edward Westfall: Atlas of the Lunar Terminator. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000, ISBN 0-521-59002-7 , p. 272
Web links
- Copernicus in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature of the IAU (WGPSN) / USGS
- Copernicus crater in the "Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon"
- Full Moon Atlas (interactive) Section D3, Eratosthenes and Copernicus
- Spektrum.de : Amateur recording of Copernicus and his ejection rays
- Spektrum.de : Collection of amateur recordings
