Ross (lunar crater)

For the crater on Mars, see Ross (Martian crater). Not to be confused with Rosse (crater).

Ross

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	11.67°N 21.74°E / 11.67; 21.74
Diameter	24.49 km (15.22 mi)
Depth	2.36 km (1.47 mi)
Colongitude	338° at sunrise
Eponym	James C. Ross and Frank Elmore Ross

Ross is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northwest part of the Mare Tranquillitatis. It lies south-southwest of the crater Plinius, and northeast of the lava-flooded Maclear. The crater has a diameter of 24.5 km and a depth of 2.36 km.

This impact dates to the Eratosthenian period of the lunar geologic timescale. The crater has a generally circular shape, but is not quite symmetrical. The inner walls slope down to a base of slumped material, before joining a relatively level interior floor. There is a low ridge to the west of the crater midpoint.

Ross crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1

This crater was named by the IAU in 1935, after British explorer James Clark Ross (1800-1862) and American astronomer and optician Frank E. Ross (1874-1966). Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.

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 Ross.

Oblique view facing south from Apollo 15

Cross sections of Ross crater with different elevations of each direction.

Ross	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
B	11.4° N	20.2° E	6 km
C	11.7° N	19.0° E	5 km
D	12.6° N	23.3° E	9 km
E	11.1° N	23.4° E	4 km
F	10.9° N	24.2° E	5 km
G	10.7° N	24.9° E	5 km
H	10.2° N	21.8° E	5 km

References

Sources

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
• 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.
• Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (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.
• 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. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
• Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.

External links

• Ross at The Moon Wiki
• Media related to Ross (lunar crater) at Wikimedia Commons
• LTO-60B4 Ross — L&PI topographic map