Bečvář (crater)

Bečvář
Oblique view of Bečvář from Apollo 17, facing north. Bečvář X is at top near center, Bečvář Q is below left of center, and Bečvář J is partially visible in lower right.
Coordinates2°54′S 124°30′E / 2.9°S 124.5°E / -2.9; 124.5
Diameter66.62 km (41.40 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude236° at sunrise
EponymAntonín Bečvář
Oblique view centered on Bečvář and showing the 200-km-diameter crater spanning the image

Bečvář (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɛtʃvaːr̝̊]) is a lunar impact crater that is located near the equator on the far side of the Moon.[2] It lies to the northeast of the crater Necho, within that feature's ray system. To the north-northeast is the crater Gregory.[3]

This is a worn, eroded crater system with a few tiny craterlets lying across the floor and rim. A double-crater formation occupies the southwestern rim, with Bečvář Q forming the northwestern member of this pair. The crater Bečvář X is attached to the northern rim.[4]: 83  This crater and its surrounding ejecta are among the lowest temperature features on the Moon, corresponding to a high albedo.[5]

The crater was named after Czechoslovak astronomer Antonín Bečvář (1001–1965).[6] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.[1] The crater was known as Crater 283 prior to naming.[7]

Bečvář lies at the center of an unnamed, highly subdued, 200-km-diameter crater which was originally discovered during the Apollo 16 mission and reported by Farouk El-Baz. The name Necho was proposed for the crater, but the name was eventually adopted for the small, bright-rayed crater along the south margin of the unnamed crater.[8]

Satellite craters

Apollo 17's CSM America above Bečvář X

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Bečvář.[9]

Bečvář[4]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
D 1.5° S 126.5° E 15 km
E 2.0° S 127.8° E 15 km
J 3.6° S 126.6° E 45 km
Q 2.9° S 124.0° E 28 km
S 3.0° S 121.1° E 14 km
T 1.8° S 121.9° E 27 km
X 0.6° S 124.2° E 26 km
Map of the region around Bečvář

References

  1. 1 2 "Bečvář". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  3. ↑ "LAC 83" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  4. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  5. ↑ Lawson, Stefanie L.; et al. (February 2000). "Brightness temperatures of the lunar surface: Calibration and global analysis of the Clementine long-wave infrared camera data". Journal of Geophysical Research. 105 (E2): 4273–4290. Bibcode:2000JGR...105.4273L. doi:10.1029/1999JE001047.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)" (2nd ed.). Lunar and Planetary Institute. October 1967. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  8. ↑ El-Baz, Farouk (1972). "Chapter 29, Part H: Discovery of Two Lunar Features". Apollo 16 Preliminary Science Report. NASA SP-315. pp. 29–33 to 29–38. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  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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