Blancanus (crater)

Blancanus
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates63°36′S 21°30′W / 63.6°S 21.5°W / -63.6; -21.5
Diameter105.82 km[1]
Depth4.82 km[2]
Colongitude21° at sunrise
EponymGiuseppe Biancani

Blancanus is a lunar impact crater located in the rugged southern region of the Moon, to the southwest of the walled plain Clavius. To the northwest lies the comparably sized crater Scheiner,[3] and south-southwest of Blancanus is the worn Klaproth.

Overall, the crater appearance is somewhat subdued compared to a fresh impact.[4] However, the outer rim of Blancanus is considerably less worn than that of Scheiner crater to the northwest, and the edge is still fairly well defined and it has a terraced structure on the interior. The floor is relatively flat with several low rises at the midpoint. There is a cluster of small craterlets in the southern part of the crater floor.[3][5]: 125  On the exterior, there is a linear feature in the surrounding field.[6]

This crater is named after the Italian astronomer and natural philosopher, Giuseppe Biancani (1566–1624).[1] Its name was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli in 1651.[7] The crater designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

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 Blancanus.[8]

Blancanus[5]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 64.4° S 21.6° W 6 km
C 66.5° S 28.0° W 46 km
D 63.3° S 16.5° W 24 km
E 66.6° S 21.5° W 37 km
F 65.1° S 27.4° W 9 km
G 63.3° S 25.3° W 9 km
H 65.5° S 23.5° W 7 km
K 60.6° S 23.3° W 11 km
N 63.4° S 25.8° W 11 km
V 64.0° S 20.9° W 7 km
W 60.9° S 20.2° W 9 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Blancanus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Joshi, Maitri P.; et al. (February 2017). "Physical properties of lunar craters". Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 17 (3). id. 24. Bibcode:2017RAA....17...24J. doi:10.1088/1674-4527/17/3/24.
  3. 1 2 Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 197–198. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  4. ↑ Pohn, H. A.; Offield, T. W. (1970). Lunar crater morphology and relative-age determination of lunar geologic units—Part 1. Classification. Geological Survey Professional Paper. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 159.
  5. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  6. ↑ Fitz-Gerald, Barry (April 2020). "Clavius, but not as we know it" (PDF). Lunar Section Circular. 57 (4). British Astronomical Association: 20–21. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  7. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 60, 211. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  8. ↑ 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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