Aryabhata (crater)

Aryabhata
Apollo 15 image
Coordinates6°12′N 35°06′E / 6.2°N 35.1°E / 6.2; 35.1
Diameter21.89 km (13.60 mi)[1]
Colongitude356° at sunrise
EponymAryabhata
Oblique view from Apollo 8, facing west

Aryabhata is the remnant of a lunar impact crater located in the eastern Mare Tranquillitatis. The crater has been almost submerged by lava-flow, and now only an arc-shaped ridge formed from the eastern half of the rim remains above the lunar mare.[2] Maskelyne crater itself is to the southwest.[3] Several lunar domes are located on the mare nearby.[4]

Previously identified as Maskelyne E,[5] it was named after Indian astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata (476-c.550).[6] This designation was officially adopted by the IAU in 1979.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Aryabhata". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ "LTO-61D2 Aryabhata". Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap (LTO) Series. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  3. ↑ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  4. ↑ Qiao, Le; et al. (September 2021). "Mare Domes in Mare Tranquillitatis: Identification, Characterization, and Implications for Their Origin" (PDF). Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 126 (9) e2021JE006888. Bibcode:2021JGRE..12606888Q. doi:10.1029/2021JE006888.
  5. ↑ Moore, Patrick; Rees, Robin (2014). Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-139-49522-6.
  6. ↑ Wayman, Patrick A., ed. (1980). Transactions of the International Astronomical Union. Vol. XVIIB. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 286. ISBN 978-90-277-1159-5.