Bok (lunar crater)

Bok
LRO Wide Angle Camera image
Coordinates20°16′S 171°35′W / 20.26°S 171.58°W / -20.26; -171.58
Diameter43.03 km (26.74 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude172° at sunrise
FormationEratosthenian[2]
EponymPriscilla F. Bok
Bart J. Bok
Apollo 17 panoramic camera mosaic

Bok is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon.[3] To the southeast is the crater Sniadecki; to the north is McKellar,[4]: 104–105  and further to the west is De Vries.[5]

This formation dates to the Eratosthenian epoch of the lunar geologic timescale.[2] The rim of Bok is well-defined and is not significantly eroded. The inner walls slope gently down to the nearly level interior floor, which has a central peak near the midpoint. There is a slight inward bulge along the northwest wall. The crater shows a strong signature of orthopyroxene, especially at the central peak, while the ejecta blanket has high concentrations of plagioclase and is mildly overabundant in iron oxide and titanium dioxide.[2]

This crater is named after the American astronomer Priscilla F. Bok (1896-1975) and Dutch-American astronomer Bart J. Bok (1906-1983). The pair were married and spent a lifetime in close scientific collaboration.[6] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1979.[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 Bok.[7]

Bok[4]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
C 19.1° S 170.2° W 27 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Bok". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. 1 2 3 Gowman, Gabriel; et al. (April 2026). "Gravity Mapping of Lunar Mantle Material in South Pole-Aitken Basin Ejecta". JGR Planets. 131 (4) e2026JE009665. doi:10.1029/2026JE009665.
  3. ↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. pp. 53, 66. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  4. 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.
  5. ↑ "LAC 104" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  6. ↑ Lada, C. J. (1987). "Obituary - Bok, Bart". Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society. 28 (4): 539. Bibcode:1987QJRAS..28..539L.
  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.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.