Lunar Near Side’s Taruntius Crater System Lost Four Satellites in 1976

Summary: The lunar near side’s Taruntius Crater system lost four satellites in 1976 when A, E, G and N received official IAU-approved names as craters.

Apollo 10 mission's 70mm, black-and-white oblique view of Zähringer Crater, then designated as Taruntius E, and Taruntius F; 70mm Hasselblad by Apollo 10 mission, film magazine 31 (R); NASA ID AS10-31-4574: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), No known copyright restrictions, via U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

The lunar near side’s Taruntius Crater system lost four satellites in 1976 when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) upgraded secondary craters A, E, G and N to primary craters and approved their officially names as Asada, Zähringer, Anville and Smithson, respectively.

Loss of the four satellites reduced Taruntius Crater’s parentage from 19 to 15. The remaining secondary craters associated with the Taruntius system are identified as B, F, H, K, L, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X and Z.

Anville’s location in the northern Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity) places it to the southeast of its former parent, Taruntius Crater. The circular, cup-shaped crater is centered at 1.84 degrees north latitude, 49.51 east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes register at 2.01 degrees north and 1.67 degrees north, respectively. Anville claims easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 49.68 degrees east and 49.34 degrees east, respectively. The sharply edged crater’s diameter measures 10.26 kilometers.

The official name for previously-designated Taruntius satellite G honors French cartographer and geographer Jean-Baptise Bourguignon d’Anville (July 11, 1697-Jan. 28, 1782). D’Anville specialized in ancient geography.

Located northeast of Taruntius Crater, Asada lies in the northern edge of Mare Fecunditatis. The circular impact crater is centered at 7.25 degrees north latitude, 49.9 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach to 7.45 degrees north and 7.04 degrees north, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 50.11 degrees east and 49.7 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 12.37 kilometers.

Previously designated as Taruntius Crater’s satellite A, primary crater Asada honors Japanese physician and astronomer Asada Gōryū (March 10, 1734-June 25, 1799). Asada Gōryū (麻田 剛立) is credited with predicting the lunar eclipse of Sept. 1, 1763. The self-taught astronomer conducted his observations with instruments that he designed and built himself.

Lying southeast of Taruntius Crater, Smithson occupies the northeastern Mare Fecunditatis. The small impact crater is centered at 2.38 degrees north latitude, 53.64 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to 2.48 degrees north and 2.28 degrees north, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach to 53.74 degrees east and 53.54 degrees east, respectively. The circular, cup-shaped crater’s diameter measures 6.04 kilometers.

The IAU’s official renaming of Taruntius satellite N as Smithson honors English chemist and mineralogist James Smithson (ca. 1765-June 27, 1829). Smithson’s legacy included identifying calamine (now known as smithsonite) as a mineral rather than a zinc oxide and establishing the Smithsonian Institution.

Lying to the west of its former parent, Zähringer occupies the southeastern fringes of Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility). The circular, bowl-shaped lunar impact crater is centered at 5.51 degrees north latitude, 40.21 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes are obtained at 5.69 degrees north and 5.33 degrees north, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes are registered at 40.4 degrees east and 40.03 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 11.19 kilometers.

Previously designated as Taruntius satellite E, Zähringer is named after German physicist Josef Zähringer (March 15, 1929-July 22, 1970). Zähringer’s accomplishments included journeying, at the express invitation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, to NASA’s Manned Spaceflight Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas, to evaluate lunar samples collected at Mare Tranquillitatis by the first human lunar-landing mission, Apollo 11 (Wednesday, July 16, to Thursday, July 24, 1969).

The takeaway for lunar near side Taruntius Crater system’s loss of four satellites in 1974 is that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognized Taruntius satellites A, E, G and N as solitary craters with respective official names of Asada, Zähringer, Anville and Smithson.

Details of Lunar Aeronautical Charts (LACs) 61 (left) and 62 (right) show Zähringer in Mare Tranquillitatis and Asada and Anville (61) and Smithson (62) in Mare Fecunditatis; scale 1:1,000,000; Mercator Projection: United States Air Force (USAF) Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) via USGS/Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Apollo 10 mission's 70mm, black-and-white oblique view of Zähringer Crater, then designated as Taruntius E, and Taruntius F; 70mm Hasselblad by Apollo 10 mission, film magazine 31 (R); NASA ID AS10-31-4574: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), No known copyright restrictions, via U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) @ https://nara.getarchive.net/media/as10-31-4574-apollo-10-apollo-10-mission-image-crater-taruntius-e-and-f-c6692a

Details of Lunar Aeronautical Charts (LACs) 61 (left) and 62 (right) show Zähringer in Mare Tranquillitatis and Asada and Anville (61) and Smithson (62) in Mare Fecunditatis; scale 1:1,000,000; Mercator Projection: United States Air Force (USAF) Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) via USGS/Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_61_wac.pdf and https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_62_wac.pdf

For further information:

Consolmagno, Guy; and Dan M. Davis. Turn Left at Orion. Fourth edition. Cambridge UK; New York NY: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

International Astronomical Union. “Anville.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/307

International Astronomical Union. “Asada.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/413

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Fecunditatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Tranquillitatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3691

International Astronomical Union. “Smithson.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5605

International Astronomical Union. “Taruntius.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5878

International Astronomical Union. “Zähringer.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6772

Levy, David H. Skywatching. Revised and updated. San Francisco CA: Fog City Press, 1994.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Lunar Taruntius Crater System Borders Northwestern Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 13, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/lunar-taruntius-crater-system-borders.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Lunar Taruntius Crater System Lost Three Satellites in 1973.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 20, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/lunar-taruntius-crater-system-lost.html

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Newsroom. “Moon Dust Is Not to Be Sneezed At.” Max-Planck-Gesellschaft > Newsroom. July 15, 2019.
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Ogawa, Teizo. “La Vie et les Travaux de Goryu Asada.” Okajimas Folia Anatomica Japonica, vol. 28, issue 1-6 (Sept. 28, 1956): 353-363.
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U.S. Geological Survey. Color-Coded Topography and Shaded Relief Map of the Lunar Near Side and Far Side Hemispheres. U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I-2769. Page last modified Nov. 30, 2016. Flagstaff AZ: U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2769/