Amundsen is a large lunar impact crater located near the south pole of the Moon, named after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. It lies along the southern lunar limb, and so is viewed from the side by an observer on the Earth. To the northwest is the crater Scott, a formation of similar dimensions that is named for another Antarctic explorer. Nobile is attached to the western rim.[1]
 Clementine image (1994) | |
| Coordinates | 84°30′S 82°48′E / 84.5°S 82.8°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 103.39 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 272° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Roald Amundsen |
The rim of Amundsen is slightly distended along the southern edge, and the terraced inner surface is wider at that point than elsewhere along the outer wall. The crater overlaps a smaller crater formation to the northwest, and Hédervári is attached to the northern rim. Just to the south of Amundsen is the smaller crater Faustini.
The inner floor is relatively flat, with a pair of central peaks near the midpoint. Much of the crater floor is cloaked in shadow during the lunar day, with only the southern floor and the central peaks receiving sunlight.
Amundsen Crater hosts 82 square kilometers of carbon dioxide cold traps, where temperatures remain below 60 K (−213 °C; −352 °F), potentially containing solid carbon dioxide.[2] Such areas could be high-priority target sites for future landed missions.[3]
Satellite craters
editBy convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Amundsen.
The crater formerly named Amundsen A is now known as Hédervári.
| Feature | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.8° S | 83.1° E | — | WGPSN | |
| Amundsen C | 80.7° S | 83.2° E | 24.22 km | WGPSN |
See also
edit- 1065 Amundsenia, Mars-crossing asteroid
References
edit- ^ "Amundsen (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ^ Schorghofer, Norbert; Williams, Jean-Pierre; Martinez-Camacho, Jose; Paige, David A.; Siegler, Matthew A. (2021). "Carbon Dioxide Cold Traps on the Moon". Geophysical Research Letters. 48 (20). American Geophysical Union (AGU). Bibcode:2021GeoRL..4895533S. doi:10.1029/2021gl095533. ISSN 0094-8276.
- ^ Paul Hayne, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, quoted in: Carbon dioxide cold traps on the moon are confirmed for the first time, https://phys.org/news/2021-11-carbon-dioxide-cold-moon.html
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (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.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- 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.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
External links
edit
Media related to Amundsen (crater) at Wikimedia Commons
