Diderot (crater)

Diderot
Apollo 15 image
Coordinates20°25′S 121°32′E / 20.42°S 121.54°E / -20.42; 121.54
Diameter20.00 km (12.43 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude239° at sunrise
EponymDenis Diderot
Diderot on the floor of Fermi

Diderot is a small lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies within the southwestern interior floor of a huge walled plain named Fermi, about midway between the basin midpoint and the southwest rim.[2] The crater is saucer-shaped and irregular, with smaller craters located just to the northwest and the north. The inner wall is narrower along the eastern side, and has a pair of ridges along the southern face. This crater is otherwise unremarkable.[3]

This formation is named after French philosopher Denis Diderot (1713–1784). Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1979.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Diderot". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
  2. ↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
  3. ↑ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.

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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