Akutagawa is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 106 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in on September 25, 2015. Akutagawa is named for the Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.[1]

Akutagawa
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MESSENGER WAC mosaic
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationShakespeare quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates48°15′N 141°05′W / 48.25°N 141.09°W / 48.25; -141.09
Diameter106 km (66 mi)
EponymRyūnosuke Akutagawa
Approximate color image of Akutagawa

Much of Akutagawa is surrounded by low-reflectance material (LRM), thought to be caused by the carbon mineral graphite.[2]

Oblique view

References

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  1. ^ "Akutagawa". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Mercury's mysterious surface darkness revealed". Astronomy Now. Retrieved 29 April 2020.