Graff (lunar crater)
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 42°24′S 88°36′W / 42.4°S 88.6°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 36 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 89° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Kasimir R. Graff |
Graff is a small lunar impact crater that lies along the southwestern limb of the Moon. It is located to the west of the Vallis Bouvard depression in the southern part of the ejecta blanket that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin. To the south-southwest is the smaller crater Catalán.
The outer rim of this crater is roughly circular, with a slight outward protrusion along the southern side. The rim and inner walls are not significantly eroded, and slope downward to a ring of accumulated debris surrounding the interior floor. The bottom is somewhat irregular, with a tiny crater near the midpoint and another to the northeast.
Because of its location, this crater is viewed obliquely by observers on the Earth, and its visibility can be affected by libration.
This crater lies within the Mendel-Rydberg Basin, a 630 km wide impact basin of Nectarian age.
Satellite craters
[edit]By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Graff.
| Graff | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 41.2° S | 86.1° W | 21 km |
| U | 42.1° S | 90.7° W | 20 km |
References
[edit]- 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 2007-08-05.
- 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. 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.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- 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.