Blanchinus (crater)

Blanchinus
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates25°24′S 2°30′E / 25.4°S 2.5°E / -25.4; 2.5
Diameter59.90 km (37.22 mi)[1]
Depth1.16 km (0.72 mi)[2]
Colongitude358° at sunrise
FormationPre-Nectarian[3]
EponymGiovanni Bianchini

Blanchinus is a worn lunar impact crater in the rugged south-central highlands of the Moon.[4] Adjacent to its south is the crater Werner, and La Caille is attached to the northwest rim.[5] To its west is the prominent formation Purbach.[6] For a few hours before the first quarter, the crater's rim contributes the lunar x visual phenomenon.[7]

On the lunar geologic timescale, this crater dates to the Pre-Nectarian epoch.[3] Blanchinus' outer rim has been significantly degraded by subsequent impacts, leaving an irregular, notched exterior ring of rugged hills and ridges. The inner floor, in contrast, is nearly flat and free of significant impacts. Only a few tiny craterlets mark it, with Blanchinus M near the midpoint and the remainder near the southwest rim.[8]: 95 

This crater is named after Italian astronomer Giovanni Bianchini (unkn-fl. 1458),[1] whose Latinized name is Blanchinus. The name was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by German astronomer J. H. Schröter in 1791.[9] The crater designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

Blanchinus crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Blanchinus.[10]

Blanchinus[8]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
B 25.2° S 1.6° E 8 km
D 25.0° S 4.2° E 7 km
K 24.8° S 5.1° E 9 km
M 25.2° S 2.6° E 5 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Blanchinus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Pike, R. J. (September 1976). "Crater Dimensions from Apollo Data and Supplemental Sources". The Moon. 15 (3–4): 463–477. Bibcode:1976Moon...15..463P. doi:10.1007/BF00562253.
  3. 1 2 Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. doi:10.3133/pp1348. Table 8.3.
  4. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  5. ↑ Grego, Peter (2005). The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers' Observing Guides Series. London: Springer-Verlag. p. 205. ISBN 1-85233-748-6.
  6. ↑ "LAC 95" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  7. ↑ Chapman, David M. F. (April 2007). "The Lunar X Files: a fleeting vision near the crater Werner" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 101 (2): 51. Bibcode:2007JRASC.101...51C. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  8. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  9. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 98–101, 218. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  10. ↑ 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.
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