Alhazen (crater)

Alhazen
Apollo 17 image
Coordinates15°54′N 71°48′E / 15.9°N 71.8°E / 15.9; 71.8
Diameter34.65[1] km
Depth2.0 km
Colongitude289° at sunrise
EponymAlhazen

Alhazen is a lunar impact crater that lies close to the eastern limb of the Moon's near side.[2] The position of this crater means that its visibility is subject to the libration of the Moon's visible face.[3] In the 19th century, this briefly led to the belief that the crater had been lost.[4][5]

Just to the south-southeast of Alhazen is the crater Hansen, and to the west is the Mare Crisium. The rim of Alhazen is nearly circular, but appears highly oblong when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening. The inner walls and the crater floor are rugged and irregular. A low ridge joins the south rim of Alhazen with the nearby Hansen.[6]: 63  Alpha Alhazen and Beta Alhazen are informal names for two rises to the northwest of Alhazen crater.[7]

This crater is named after the Arab Muslim scientist, Ibn al-Haytham. The designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1] It was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by J. H. Schröter in 1791.[8]

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 Alhazen.[9]

Alhazen[6]: 291  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 16.2° N 74.3° E 14 km
D 19.7° N 75.2° E 33 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Alhazen". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  3. ↑ Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. pp. 105, 154–159. Reprint: ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3
  4. ↑ Birt, W. R. (1867). "The Lunar Crater Alhazen". Astronomical Register. 5: 170. Bibcode:1867AReg....5..170B.
  5. ↑ Longshaw, N. (June 2010). "Anatomy of an illusion: the 'Alhazen' of Johann Hieronymus Schröter". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 120 (3): 161–168. Bibcode:2010JBAA..120..161L.
  6. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  7. ↑ Wood, Charles A. (February 20, 2007). "Where is Alhazen Alpha?". Lunar Photo of the Day. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
  8. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101, 218. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  9. ↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

Sources

  • 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.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
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