Birmingham (crater)

Birmingham
Location of the lunar crater Birmingham.
Coordinates65°06′N 10°30′W / 65.1°N 10.5°W / 65.1; -10.5
Diameter89.92 km (55.87 mi)[1]
Depth1.8 km (1.1 mi)
Colongitude13° at sunrise
EponymJohn Birmingham
Map of Birmingham and vicinity
Lunar Orbiter 4 image of most of Birmingham, including the northern crater rim, at a low sun angle

Birmingham is the surviving remnant of a lunar impact crater. It is located near the northern limb of the Moon, and so is viewed from the Earth at a low angle. The crater lies just to the north of the Mare Frigoris,[2] and to the east of the walled plain named W. Bond. To the northeast is the smaller crater Epigenes, with Fontenelle to the west.[3]

Because this formation is so heavily degraded, it can be difficult to identify except under low illumination conditions.[4][2] All that survives of the original formation is an irregular perimeter of low, indented ridges surrounding the basalt-resurfaced interior. The inner floor is marked by several tiny craterlets, and the surface is unusually rough for a walled plain.[5]: 3  A low angle of illumination allows fine details of this boulder-strewn field to be seen more clearly.

This crater is named after the Irish astronomer John Birmingham (1816–1884),[1] not, as is often stated, the British city nor its Alabama namesake. Its name was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by William R. Birt and John Lee in the 19th century.[6] This designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[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 Birmingham.[7]

Birmingham[5]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
B 63.6° N 11.3° W 8 km
G 64.5° N 10.2° W 5 km
H 64.4° N 10.6° W 7 km
K 65.0° N 13.1° W 6 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Birmingham". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. 1 2 Grego, Peter (2005). The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers' Observing Guides Series. London: Springer-Verlag. p. 134. ISBN 1-85233-748-6.
  3. ↑ The crater crosses the border of two maps:
    • "LAC 3" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
    • "LAC 12" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  4. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 183–184. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  5. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  6. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 136, 221. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  7. ↑ 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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