Davisson (crater)

Davisson
LRO image
Coordinates37°30′S 174°36′W / 37.5°S 174.6°W / -37.5; -174.6
Diameter92.46 km (57.45 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude177° at sunrise
FormationNectarian[2]
EponymClinton J. Davisson
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image

Davisson is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon from the Earth.[3] This crater lies across the eastern rim of the huge walled plain named Leibnitz, and the rim and outer rampart intrudes into the interior floor of Leibnitz. To the east-northeast of Davisson is the walled plain Oppenheimer, a formation only somewhat smaller than Leibnitz.[4]

On the lunar geologic timescale, this formation dates to the Nectarian period.[2] The rim of Davisson has been somewhat eroded from impacts, but it retains some detail from its original formation. Particularly along the western face, the interior wall displays some terraces. The rim is more worn along the northeastern face, and the rim is more irregular to the north and south.[5] The interior floor is covered by basalt, and is relatively level and featureless.[6] There is a low central peak offset slightly to the southwest of the crater midpoint. The spectra of this peak fits a peridotite mineralogy, which was excavated from a depth of 8.7 to 13.8 km.[7]

This crater is named after Clinton Joseph Davisson (1881–1958), a US physicist who in 1927 made the first experimental observation of the wave-like nature of electrons. For this work, he shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1937.[8] Prior to its name being formally adopted in 1970 by the International Astronomical Union,[1] this crater was known as Crater 377.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Davisson". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  2. 1 2 Moriarty, D. P.; Pieters, C. M. (March 2018). "The Character of South Pole-Aitken Basin: Patterns of Surface and Subsurface Composition". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 123 (3): 729–747. Bibcode:2018JGRE..123..729M. doi:10.1002/2017JE005364.
  3. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.
  4. ↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  5. ↑ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  6. ↑ Yue, Zongyu; et al. (December 2021). "Chronology of the Basalt Units Surrounding Chang'e-4 Landing Area". Remote Sensing. 14 (1): 49. Bibcode:2021RemS...14...49Y. doi:10.3390/rs14010049.
  7. ↑ Cahill, J. T. S.; et al. (September 2009). "Compositional variations of the lunar crust: Results from radiative transfer modeling of central peak spectra". Journal of Geophysical Research. 114 (E9) E09001. Bibcode:2009JGRE..114.9001C. doi:10.1029/2008JE003282.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)" (2nd ed.). Lunar & Planetary Institute. October 1967. Retrieved 2026-05-15.

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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