Byrd (lunar crater)

Byrd
Lunar Orbiter 4 image of Byrd (center) with Gioia at bottom
Coordinates85°26′N 10°04′E / 85.43°N 10.07°E / 85.43; 10.07
Diameter97.49 km (60.58 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude10° at sunrise
EponymRichard E. Byrd
Topographic map of Byrd (centre), from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's laser altimetry data

Byrd is an irregular lunar impact crater that is located near the north pole of the Moon.[2] The north rim of Byrd is nearly connected to the crater Peary, a formation that is adjacent to the pole. The smaller crater Gioia is attached to the remains of the southwest rim.[3]

Based on its impact record, this crater dates to 3.88 Ga ago.[4] The rim of Byrd is worn and eroded, with sections distorted by intruding crater rims along the perimeter. As a result, the crater interior is longer in the north–south direction than it is wide. There is a gap in the western rim, and the southern rim is now little more than a low ridge on the surface.[5]: 1 

Some time after the original impact the crater interior was covered in lava flows, leaving a nearly flat surface that is marked only by tiny craterlets. These impacts include craters dating from the Mare Orientale impact.[4] There is no central peak at the midpoint of the interior and no ridges of significance.

This crater is named after American aviator and polar explorer Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957).[6] His name was introduced into lunar nomenclature by David W. G. Arthur and Ewen Whitaker with the Rectified Lunar Atlas (1963).[7][8] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1964.[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 Byrd.[9]

Byrd[5]: 294  Coordinates Diameter, km
C 84°21′N 28°20′E / 84.35°N 28.34°E / 84.35; 28.34 (Byrd C) 34
D 85°31′N 33°25′E / 85.52°N 33.41°E / 85.52; 33.41 (Byrd D) 24

References

  1. 1 2 "Byrd". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  3. ↑ "LAC 1" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
  4. 1 2 Campbell, Bruce A.; et al. (August 2010). "Earth-based 12.6-cm wavelength radar mapping of the Moon: New views of impact melt distribution and mare physical properties". Icarus. 208 (2): 565–573. Bibcode:2010Icar..208..565C. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.03.011.
  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. ↑ 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. See p. 182.
  7. ↑ Whitaker, E. A.; et al. (1963). Rectified Lunar Atlas: Supplement No. 2 to the Photographic Lunar Atlas. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Retrieved 2026-06-01. See Field 2.
  8. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  9. ↑ 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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