Bolyai (crater)

Bolyai
LRO WAC image
Coordinates33°36′S 125°54′E / 33.6°S 125.9°E / -33.6; 125.9
Diameter102.22 km (63.52 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude236° at sunrise
EponymJános Bolyai
Triple junctions of wrinkle ridges at the western edge of Bolyai crater floor. Image width is 1270 m.
Oblique view from Apollo 8, facing southeast, at a high sun angle, so the dark mare patch is visible.
Oblique view from Apollo 17, facing east

Bolyai is an old lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon.[2] To the southeast of Bolyai is the crater Eötvös, and to the north is Neujmin.[3]

This crater has been heavily eroded and worn by subsequent impacts,[4] leaving only a deformed remnant of the original rim that is overlaid by a multitude of lesser craters. The most notable of these is Bolyai D along the northeast rim and Bolyai W to the northwest. The latter is actually a formation of multiply overlapping craters.[5]: 117 

The interior of the crater is relatively level, but rough in places due to impacts that have reshaped the surface. Near the rounded central peak, and from there towards the northern rim, is a section of floor that has been resurfaced by mare material.[3] This area is smoother than the remainder of the floor, and has a lower albedo, giving it a dark appearance. This surface dates to around 3.5 Ga.[6] The western part of this mare displays a cluster of small ridges, which are likely the result of compressional stresses.[4]

This crater is named after the Hungarian mathematician János Bolyai (1802–1860).[7] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.[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 Bolyai.[8]

Bolyai[5]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
D 32.5° S 128.0° E 34 km
K 36.3° S 126.8° E 29 km
L 36.3° S 126.2° E 73 km
Q 36.1° S 122.5° E 28 km
W 32.2° S 123.9° E 50 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Bolyai". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.
  3. 1 2 Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. pp. 26, 44. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  4. 1 2 Nypaver, C. A.; et al. (January 2025). "Recent Tectonic Deformation of the Lunar Farside Mare and South Pole─Aitken Basin". The Planetary Science Journal. 6 (1). id. 16. Bibcode:2025PSJ.....6...16N. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ad9eaa.
  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. ↑ Pasckert, J. H.; et al. (September 2012). Absolute model ages of volcanic deposits around the lunar farside craters Rosseland and Bolyai. European Planetary Science Congress 2012, held 23-28 September, 2012 in Madrid, Spain. id. EPSC2012-843. Bibcode:2012epsc.conf..843P.
  7. ↑ 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.
  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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