Virtanen (crater)
 Lunar Orbiter 2 image | |
| Coordinates | 15°38′N 176°44′E / 15.64°N 176.74°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 44 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 187° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Artturi I. Virtanen |
Virtanen is a lunar impact crater that lies within the Freundlich-Sharonov Basin. It is located to the northeast of the larger crater Sharonov, and to the east of Anderson. Virtanen lies on the far side of the Moon, and cannot be viewed directly from the Earth.
This crater has a nearly circular rim, with a relatively narrow inner wall and a central peak near the interior midpoint. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified within Virtanen.[1] The large crater attached to the northern rim is Virtanen Z.
The small crater Virtanen F lying across the eastern rim is at the focus of a small ray system that covers much of Virtanen and its surroundings. The rays are wispy in nature and somewhat asymmetrical, with the distribution being much more expansive to the west. At the origin of the rays is a bright patch of higher-albedo surface.
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 Virtanen.
| Virtanen | Coordinates | Diameter, km |
|---|---|---|
| B | 17°50′N 177°54′E / 17.83°N 177.9°E | 27.3 |
| C | 17°17′N 178°12′E / 17.28°N 178.2°E | 19.7 |
| F | 15°47′N 177°19′E / 15.79°N 177.32°E | 11.6 |
| J | 14°02′N 178°04′E / 14.03°N 178.06°E | 19.9 |
| Z | 16°45′N 176°40′E / 16.75°N 176.66°E | 34.1 |
References
- ↑ Donaldson Hanna, K. L.; et al. (July 2014). "Global assessment of pure crystalline plagioclase across the Moon and implications for the evolution of the primary crust". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 119 (7): 1516–1545. Bibcode:2014JGRE..119.1516D. doi:10.1002/2013JE004476.
Sources
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- 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.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- 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.