Peary (moon crater)
| Peary | ||
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| position | 88.57 ° N , 25.73 ° O | |
| diameter | 85 km | |
| Card sheet | 1 (PDF) | |
| Named after | Robert Edwin Peary (1856-1920) | |
| Named since | 1964 | |
| Unless otherwise stated, the information comes from the entry in the IAU / USGS database | ||
The lunar crater Peary is a whale plain with a diameter of 85 km near the north pole of the Earth's moon .
Peary's crater rim touches the North Pole and is therefore the structure closest to the pole. Just like its southern neighbors Byrd and Hermite in the west, it is only temporarily visible from the earth through the libration at the very edge. Its high edges and some heights in the area are always in the sunlight and - as at the south pole of the moon - are called " Mountains of Eternal Light ".
In the plans for a permanent lunar observatory that have been pursued for a number of years , Peary is therefore being considered as a possible location, as is the region of Shackleton crater near the South Pole. Traces of water ice were located in the vicinity of both lunar poles for the first time in 1996 , which in addition to the favorable astronomical observation conditions would be a plus for a permanent moon station.