Al-Biruni (crater)

Al-Biruni
Oblique Apollo 16 image
Coordinates17°54′N 92°30′E / 17.9°N 92.5°E / 17.9; 92.5
Diameter80.41[1] km
Depthunknown
Colongitude268° at sunrise
FormationEarly Imbrian[2]
EponymAl-Biruni
Oblique view of Al-Biruni crater facing north, from Apollo 17
Oblique Apollo 14 Hasselblad camera image

Al-Biruni is an impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon,[3] just beyond the eastern limb. This portion of the surface is sometimes brought into sight due to librations of the Moon, but due to its location the crater is viewed from the side. Al-Biruni lies to the south of the crater Joliot, and to the northeast of Goddard.[4]: 46  It is located well within the "putative Orientale antipodal ejecta deposit".[5]

This impact crater dates from the Early Imbrian epoch at around 3.8±0.1 ga ago.[2] The interior floor was covered in mare lava material during the Late Imbrian.[3] The rim of Al-Biruni forms a somewhat irregular circle, with a slight outward bulge in the northeast wall, and a somewhat wider inner wall to the west. The mare-covered interior floor is relatively planar, with a few tiny smaller craters to mark the surface. The most notable of these is Al-Biruni C near the northeast wall.[4]: 46  A topographic profile of the interior floor shows a slight incline with an angle of about 2.5°. The floor surface displays high abundances of FeO and TiO2.[6]

This crater is named after the Persian scientist Al-Biruni (c. 973 – c. 1050).[7] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.[1]

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Al-Biruni.[8]

Al-Biruni[4]: 291  Latitude Longitude Diameter
C 18.4° N 93.0° E 9 km

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Al-Biruni". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. 1 2 Kirchoff, Michelle R.; et al. (July 2013). "Ages of large lunar impact craters and implications for bombardment during the Moon's middle age". Icarus. 225 (1): 325–341. Bibcode:2013Icar..225..325K. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.03.018.
  3. 1 2 Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  4. 1 2 3 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  5. ↑ Park, Hyeonhu; et al. (November 2024). "Evidence for Magnetized Basin Ejecta on the Moon From Observations and Modeling of Demagnetized Craters". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 129 (11) e2024JE008420. Bibcode:2024JGRE..12908420P. doi:10.1029/2024JE008420.
  6. ↑ Liu, Feng; et al. (September 2024). "Quantitative Analysis of the Sloping Terrain on Al-Biruni's Floor and Implications for the Cratering Process". Remote Sensing. 16 (19). 3645. Bibcode:2024RemS...16.3645L. doi:10.3390/rs16193645.
  7. ↑ Menzel, D. H.; et al. (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.
  8. ↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. pp. 1858–1859. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328. ISBN 978-1-4614-3133-6.
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