Hamlet Is Largest Known Crater on Second Largest Uranian Moon Oberon

Summary: Hamlet is the largest known crater on second largest Uranian moon Oberon, which was discovered by Uranus discoverer William Herschel on Jan. 11, 1787.

Hamlet (center left, between 270 and 300 degrees east), the largest known crater on second largest Uranian moon Oberon, lies in Oberon’s Uranus-facing southern hemisphere; U.S. Geological Survey, “Pictorial Map of Oberon Uo 10M -90/0 AN,” The Southern Hemispheres of Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon; prepared for the Voyager Imaging Science Team in Cooperation With the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1988; mosaic made with Voyager 2 image 1111U2-001: U.S. Geological Survey, via IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Hamlet is the largest known crater on second largest Uranian moon Oberon, which was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel (Nov. 15, 1738-Aug. 25, 1822) on Jan. 11, 1787, five years nine months 29 days after his March 13, 1781, discovery of Uranus, Oberon’s primary.

Hamlet is centered at minus 46.1 degrees south latitude, 44.4 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Hamlet’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 45.8 degrees south and minus 46.3 degrees south, respectively. The Oberonian southern hemisphere crater’s easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 55.8 degrees east and 33 degrees east, respectively. The dark-floored impact crater’s diameter spans 206 kilometers.

Hamlet’s diameter approximated 13.5 percent of Oberon’s diameter. As the second largest Uranian satellite, Oberon has an approximate diameter of 1,522 kilometers. Oberon’s radius is calculated at 761.4 kilometers, according to “Uranian Satellite Fact Sheet” by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) planetary scientist David Richard Williams on the NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (NSSDCA) website.

Othello, the seventh largest of Oberon’s nine named craters, lies southwest of Hamlet. Othello is centered at minus 66 degrees south latitude, 42.9 degrees east longitude. Othello obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 65.6 degrees south and minus 66.4 degrees south, respectively. It registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 53.6 degrees east and 52.2 degrees east, respectively. Othello’s diameter measures 114 kilometers.

Macbeth, second to Hamlet in size, rests to the southeast of Hamlet. Macbeth is centered at minus 58.4 degrees south latitude, 112.5 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 58 degrees south and minus 58.9 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes stretch to 127.4 degrees east and 97.6 degrees east, respectively. Macbeth’s diameter spans 203 kilometers.

Romeo, ranking third in size, hunkers to the northeast of Hamlet. Romeo is centered at minus 28.7 degrees south latitude, 89.4 degrees east longitude. It registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 28.6 degrees south and minus 28.8 degrees south, respectively. It records easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 94.2 degrees east and 84.7 degrees east, respectively. Romeo’s diameter measures 159 kilometers.

Caesar, ranking eighth in size, lies northeast of Hamlet. Caesar is centered at minus 26.6 degrees south latitude, 61.1 degrees east longitude. It marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 26.6 degrees south. The crater’s easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 64.1 degrees east and 58 degrees east, respectively. Caesar has a diameter of 76 kilometers.

Antony, the smallest of Oberon’s nine named craters, slams against Caesar’s southeastern rim. Antony is centered at minus 27.5 degrees south latitude, 65.4 degrees east longitude. It registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 27.4 degrees south and minus 27.6 degrees south, respectively. It obtains easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 67.3 degrees east and 63.5 degrees east. Antony has a diameter of 47 kilometers.

Falstaff, Oberon’s fifth largest named crater, lies northwest of Hamlet. Falstaff is centered at minus 22.1 degrees south latitude, 19 degrees east longitude. It records northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 21.6 degrees south and minus 22.5 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 23.7 degrees east and 14.3 degrees east, respectively. Falstaff’s diameter measures 124 kilometers.

Lear, Oberon’s fourth largest named crater, resides northwest of Hamlet. Lear is centered at minus 5.4 degrees south latitude, 31.5 degrees east longitude. It marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 5.3 degrees south and minus 5.5 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 36.1 degrees east and 26.9 degrees east, respectively. Lear’s diameter spans 126 kilometers.

Coriolanus, ranking sixth in size, distances itself to the west-northwest of Hamlet. Coriolanus is centered at minus 11.4 degrees south latitude, 345.2 degrees east longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes coincide at minus 11.4 degrees south. It obtains easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 349.9 degrees east and 340.5 degrees east, respectively. Coriolanus has a diameter of 120 kilometers.

The nine named craters on Uranian moon Oberon are named after eponymous male characters in plays by Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare (bapt. April 26, 1564-April 23, 1616). The IAU approved the craters’ Shakespearean names during the organization’s XXth (20th) General Assembly, which was held Tuesday, Aug. 2, to Thursday, Aug. 11, 1988, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The takeaways for Hamlet as the largest known crater on second largest Uranian moon Oberon are that Hamlet’s diameter of 206 kilometers approximates 13.5 percent of Oberon’s diameter of 1,522 kilometers and that eponymous male characters in plays by Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare inspired the names for Hamlet Crater and eight craters in the Uranus-facing, Oberonian southern hemisphere.

False-color image of second largest Uranian satellite Oberon shows dark-floored Hamlet Crater (center right); U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Research Program image constructed from data obtained by Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus, January 1986: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Hamlet (center left, between 270 and 300 degrees east), the largest known crater on second largest Uranian moon Oberon, lies in Oberon’s Uranus-facing southern hemisphere; U.S. Geological Survey, “Pictorial Map of Oberon Uo 10M -90/0 AN,” The Southern Hemispheres of Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon; prepared for the Voyager Imaging Science Team in Cooperation With the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1988; mosaic made with Voyager 2 image 1111U2-001: U.S. Geological Survey, via IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/umbriel_titania_oberon_I-1920_300dpi.pdf

False-color image of second largest Uranian satellite Oberon shows dark-floored Hamlet Crater (center right); U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Research Program image constructed from data obtained by Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus, January 1986: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oberon_USGS.gif

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