D'Arrest (crater)

D'Arrest
Coordinates2°18′N 14°42′E / 2.3°N 14.7°E / 2.3; 14.7
Diameter29.67 km (18.44 mi)[1]
Depth1.5 km (0.93 mi)[2]
Colongitude344° at sunrise
EponymHeinrich d'Arrest
Oblique view from Apollo 12

D'Arrest is a lunar impact crater that is located in the lava-flooded region to the west of the Mare Tranquillitatis.[3] It lies to the southeast of the crater Agrippa and northwest of Delambre. Just to the north are the small, bowl-shaped craters De Morgan and Cayley.[4]

The outer rim of D'Arrest is broken in several places, with a gash at the south end and a wide gap to the northeast where only a low ridge remains in place of the original wall. The interior has been resurfaced by basaltic lava, leaving a nearly flat, featureless floor. The surviving rim is low and worn, with ridges connecting it to the south and southwest.[5]: 60 

This formation is named after the German astronomer Heinrich Louis d'Arrest (1822-1875). His name was included in the lunar nomenclature of German astronomer Johann F. J. Schmidt in 1878.[6] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

D'Arrest crater and its satellite craters as viewed from Earth

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to D'Arrest.[7]

D'Arrest[5]: 296  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 1.9° N 13.7° E 4 km
B 1.0° N 13.6° E 5 km
M 1.9° N 13.6° E 23 km
R 0.5° N 15.6° E 19 km

References

  1. 1 2 "D'Arrest". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  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. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 175–176. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  4. ↑ "LAC 60" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
  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. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 131, 224. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  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.