Gagarin (crater)

Gagarin
	Lunar crater Gagarin seen by Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966
Coordinates	19°40′S 149°21′E / 19.66°S 149.35°E
Diameter	261.83 km (162.69 mi)
Depth	4.8 km
Colongitude	215° at sunrise
Formation	Pre-Nectarian
Eponym	Yuri Gagarin

Gagarin is a large lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon.^[5] To the southwest is the crater Pavlov and to the northeast lies Keeler. Closer to the rim are the craters Levi-Civita to the southwest, and Beijerinck to the north-northeast. Isaev lies entirely within the northwest rim of Gagarin. In contrast with the floor of Gagarin, Isaev has a floor with a somewhat low albedo.^[6]^: 102

The crater was named in by the IAU in 1970, after Soviet cosmoonaut Yuri Gagarin.^[1] Prior to naming, Gagarin was called Basin X.^[7]

Physical characteristics

Oblique view facing south from Apollo 17.

The crater is named after Yuri Gagarin, the cosmonaut who was the first human in space and the first to orbit the Earth. This designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.^[1] The six craters falling within the perimeter of Gagarin have also been named after pioneers of Russian aviation and astronautics, including Isaev, Grave, Balandin, Raspletin, Kosberg, and Andronov.

Gagarin dates to the Pre-Nectarian period of the lunar geologic timescale.^[3]^[4] It has been heavily eroded by a long history of crater impacts. The worn rim forms a low, circular ridge around the somewhat bowl-shaped interior. The inner floor is covered by a multitude of crater impacts of various dimensions.^[6]^: 102 Little if anything remains of a central ridge, if the crater ever possessed such a feature.

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 Gagarin.

Gagarin^[6]^: 299	Coordinates	Diameter, km
G	20°31′S 150°32′E / 20.51°S 150.54°E / -20.51; 150.54 (Gagarin G)	14
M	23°31′S 149°10′E / 23.51°S 149.17°E / -23.51; 149.17 (Gagarin M)	18
T	19°20′S 144°45′E / 19.33°S 144.75°E / -19.33; 144.75 (Gagarin T)	26
Z	15°19′S 149°36′E / 15.31°S 149.60°E / -15.31; 149.60 (Gagarin Z)	27

References

1 2 3 "Gagarin". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
↑ 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.
1 2 Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 149. doi:10.3133/pp1348.
1 2 Byrne, Charles J. (2015). The Moon's Largest Craters and Basins: Images and Topographic Maps from LRO, GRAIL, and Kaguya. Physics and Astronomy. Springer. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-3-319-22032-1.
↑ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.
1 2 3 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
↑ "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)". Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1) Series (2nd ed.). Lunar and Planetary Institute. October 1967. Retrieved 2026-07-04.

Sources

Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature (PDF). NASA RP-1097. p. 35.
Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
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.
Whitaker, Ewen A. (2003). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-54414-6.
Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.

External links

Lunar Topographic Orthophotomaps:

Northwest Gagarin: LTO-102B2, Isaev
Northeast Gagarin: LTO-103A1, Grave
Southwest Gagarin: LTO-102B3, Andronov
Southeast Gagarin: LTO-103A4, Raspletin

[GPN-1] 1 2 3 "Gagarin". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[Pike_1976-2] 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.

[Wilhelms_et_al_1987-3] 1 2 Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 149. doi:10.3133/pp1348.

[Byrne_2015-4] 1 2 Byrne, Charles J. (2015). The Moon's Largest Craters and Basins: Images and Topographic Maps from LRO, GRAIL, and Kaguya. Physics and Astronomy. Springer. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-3-319-22032-1.

[Moore_2000-5] Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.

[Bussey_Spudis_2004-6] 1 2 3 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.

[LFC-1A-7] "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)". Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1) Series (2nd ed.). Lunar and Planetary Institute. October 1967. Retrieved 2026-07-04.

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Physical characteristics

Satellite craters

See also

References

Sources

External links