De Morgan Crater Honors British Mathematician Augustus De Morgan

Summary: The lunar near side’s De Morgan Crater honors British mathematician Augustus De Morgan, who was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS).

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 60 shows De Morgan Crater in the lunar near side’s northeastern quadrant, to the west of Mare Tranquillitatis, to the southwest of Cayley Crater and to the northwest of Dionysius Crater; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

The lunar near side’s De Morgan Crater honors British mathematician Augustus De Morgan, who emphasized his interests in astronomy and mathematics via his membership in the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and the London Mathematical Society (LMS).

De Morgan Crater is a small lunar impact crater in the lunar near side’s northeastern quadrant. The nearly circular, bowl-shaped crater’s inner wall slopes conically to a small interior floor at the crater’s midpoint.

De Morgan is centered at 3.31 degrees south latitude, 14.89 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The northern hemisphere crater registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 3.47 degrees north and 3.15 degrees north, respectively. The eastern hemisphere crater records easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 15.05 degrees east and 14.73 degrees east, respectively. De Morgan Crater has a small diameter of 9.68 kilometers.

Neighboring craters Cayley and Dionysius foil De Morgan’s easy visibility, according to Mark Tillotson and Jim Mosher’s The Moon Wiki. De Morgan’s unbright smallness cannot compete with bright, crisply-walled Cayley and bright-haloed, dark-rayed Dionysius.

Circular, bowl-shaped Cayley Crater lies to the northeast of De Morgan Crater. Cayley is centered at 3.94 degrees south latitude, 15.09 degrees east longitude. The highly reflective crater obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 4.17 degrees north and 3.7 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 15.32 degrees east and 14.85 degrees east, respectively. Cayley Crater’s diameter measures 14.2 kilometers.

Dionysius Crater lies to the southeast of De Morgan Crater. Dionysius is centered at 2.77 degrees south latitude, 17.29 degrees east longitude. The conspicuous crater’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes are found at 3.06 degrees north and 2.49 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 17.58 degrees east and 17.01 degrees east, respectively. Dionysius Crater’s diameter spans 17.25 kilometers.

De Morgan lies to the west of Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility). The large, dark, basaltic plain has a famed association with Apollo 11. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) first manned lunar landing mission landed in the lunar mare’s southwestern edge on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Statio Tranquillitatis (Tranquility Base) is located in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis, to the southeast of De Morgan.

Mare Tranquillitatis is centered at 8.35 degrees south latitude, 30.83 degrees east longitude. The primarily northern crater marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 19.37 degrees north and minus 4.05 degrees south, respectively. The eastern hemisphere crater’s easternmost and westernmost longitudes stretch to 45.49 degrees east and 16.92 degrees east, respectively. Mare Tranquillitatis has a diameter of 875.75 kilometers.

De Morgan Crater received official name approval in 1935 during the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Vth (5th) General Assembly, held Wednesday, July 10, to Wednesday, July 17, in Paris, France. The crater honors Augustus De Morgan (June 27, 1806-March 18, 1871).

The 19th-century British mathematician’s memberships in the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and the London Mathematical Society (LMS) attested to his interests in astronomy and mathematics. In 1828 he became the first professor of mathematics at the newly established London University, now known as University College London (UCL). Apart from an absence from July 1831 to October 1836, De Morgan taught at London University until his retirement in 1866.

Two astronomy-themed works by De Morgan carefully demystified celestial globes and maps for novices. He published An Explanation of the Gnomonic Projection of the Sphere in 1836 and The Globes, Celestial and Terrestrial in 1845.

The takeaways for the lunar near side’s De Morgan Crater, which honors 19th-century British mathematician Augustus De Morgan, are that the bowl-shaped impact crater lies to the northwest of Apollo 11’s landing site in the near side’s northeastern quadrant; that the crater system’s namesake’s interests in astronomy and mathematics were evinced in his membership in the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and the London Mathematics Society (LMS); and that two astronomy works by the London University mathematics professor aimed to elucidate celestial globes and maps for novices.

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows lunar near side’s De Morgan Crater (lower center) in terrain west of Mare Tranquillitatis: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer 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:

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 60 shows De Morgan Crater in the lunar near side’s northeastern quadrant, to the west of Mare Tranquillitatis, to the southwest of Cayley Crater and to the northwest of Dionysius Crater; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_60_wac.pdf

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows lunar near side’s De Morgan Crater (lower center) in terrain west of Mare Tranquillitatis: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/moon_nearside.pdf

For further information:

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Available via NASA NTRS (NASA Technical Reports Server) @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19830003761.pdf

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De Morgan, Augustus. Essays on the Life and Work of Newton. Edited, with notes and appendices, by Philip E.B. Jourdain. Chicago IL; London UK: The Open Court Publishing Company, 1914.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/essaysonlifework00demorich/

De Morgan, Augustus. An Explanation of the Gnomonic Projection of the Sphere; and of Such Points of Astronomy as Are Most Necessary in the Use of Astronomical Maps: Being a Description of the Construction and Use of the Larger and Smaller Maps of the Stars; as Also of the Six Maps of the Earth. Published under the superintendence of The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. London UK: Baldwin and Cradock, 1836.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/explanationofgno00demorich/

De Morgan, Augustus. The Globes, Celestial and Terrestrial. London UK: Malby and Co., 1845.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/globescelestial00morggoog

De Morgan, Sophia Elizabeth. Memoir of Augustus De Morgan. With Selections From His Letters. London UK: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1882.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/memoirofaugustus00demorich/

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Cayley.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 56. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/56

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “De Morgan.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 55. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/55

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Dionysius.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 55. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/55

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Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/20462591

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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1093

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “De Morgan.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1443

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Dionysius.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1542

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Mare Tranquillitatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3691

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Statio Tranquillitatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 25, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5684

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Target: The Moon.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon.
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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/De_Morgan

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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Dionysius

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