Descartes (crater)

Descartes
LRO WAC mosaic
Coordinates11°42′S 15°42′E / 11.7°S 15.7°E / -11.7; 15.7
Diameter47.73 km (29.66 mi)[1]
Depth0.85 km (0.53 mi)[2]
Colongitude344° at sunrise
EponymRené Descartes

Descartes is a heavily worn lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged south-central highlands of the Moon.[3] To the southwest is the crater Abulfeda.[4] Further to the west-northwest is Anděl crater, while Kant is located to the east=northeast.[5]

The rim of Descartes survives only in stretches, and is completely missing in the north. The crater Descartes A lies across the southwest rim. The interior floor contains several curved ridges. These are concentric with the surviving outer walls to the northwest and southeast, forming the remains of an inner ring.[3][6]: 78 

A section of the outer rim of Descartes is covered by a region that has a higher albedo than the surrounding surface. Low-altitude measurements by the Lunar Prospector showed that this patch is actually a magnetic anomaly—the strongest on the near side of the Moon.[7] This magnetic field may be deflecting particles from the solar wind, and thus preventing the underlying surface from growing darker because of space weathering. This is similar to the process causing Reiner Gamma and other bright swirls such as those of Mare Marginis and Mare Ingenii.

About 50 kilometers to the north of this crater was the landing site of Apollo 16. The uneven region about the landing area is sometimes called the Descartes Highlands or the Descartes Mountains.[4]

This formation is named after the French philosopher, mathematician and physicist René Descartes.[1] His name was introduced with the lunar nomenclature of Johann H. von Mädler.[8] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[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 Descartes.[9]

Descartes[6]: 297  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 12.1° S 15.2° E 16 km
C 11.0° S 16.3° E 4 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Descartes". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  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. 1 2 Grego, Peter (2005). The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers' Observing Guides Series. London: Springer-Verlag. p. 204. ISBN 1-85233-748-6.
  4. 1 2 Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 134, 161. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  5. ↑ "LAC 78" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  6. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  7. ↑ Blewett, David T.; et al. (February 2011). "Lunar swirls: Examining crustal magnetic anomalies and space weathering trends". Journal of Geophysical Research. 116 (E2) E02002. Bibcode:2011JGRE..116.2002B. doi:10.1029/2010JE003656.
  8. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. p. 120, 220. 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.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Descartes (crater) at Wikimedia Commons
  • Descartes at The Moon Wiki
  • Wood, Chuck (March 1, 2006). "Styll Mysterious After These Years". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
  • Wood, Chuck (May 31, 2007). "A New Swirl". Lunar Photo of the Day. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
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