Leeuwenhoek Crater Honors Dutch Microscopist Antony van Leeuwenhoek

Summary: The lunar far side’s Leeuwenhoek Crater honors Dutch microscopist Antony van Leeuwenhoek, a pioneer explorer of microbial life.

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Charts (LAC) 72 shows the lunar far side’s Mees Crater system of parental Mees (left center) and satellites A (upper center), Y (upper left) and J (center); 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 far side’s Mees Crater honors Dutch microscopist Antony van Leeuwenhoek, who pioneered the study of the microscopic world during the Golden Age of Dutch science and technology.

Leeuwenhoek Crater is a lunar impact crater with an eroded, worn outer rim. A central peak rises from the interior floor as a midpoint marker. A pair of craters form the northern and eastern points of a triangle with the central peak.

Leeuwenhoek occupies the lunar far side’s southeastern quadrant. Its westernmost extent misses the lunar antimeridian by only 1.08 degrees.

As on Earth, the moon’s 180th meridian, common to both east and west longitudes, represents the geographical antipode, or diametrical opposite, of the moon’s prime meridian. The moon’s zero degree line of longitude demarcates the near side’s western and eastern halves, just as the lunar 180th meridian distinguishes the far side’s western and eastern halves.

Leeuwenhoek Crater is centered at minus 29.28 degrees south latitude, minus 178.87 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The crater’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 27.24 degrees south and minus 31.33 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to minus 176.65 degrees west and 178.92 degrees east, respectively. Leeuwenhoek Crater’s diameter spans 125 kilometers.

The primary crater parents one satellite, Leeuwenhoek E. Part of eastern Leeuwenhoek covers much of western Leeuwenhoek E.

Leeuwenhoek E is centered at minus 28.51 degrees south latitude, minus 176.27 degrees west longitude. The satellite obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 26.83 degrees south and minus 30.2 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at minus 174.35 degrees west and minus 178.19 degrees west, respectively. The satellite’s diameter of 102.11 kilometers approximates 81.70 percent of its parent’s 125-kilometer diameter.

The Leeuwenhoek Crater system’s busy neighborhood features three close neighbors. Nassau F, Orlov and Rumford T reside as close neighbors to the north, northeast and east, respectively.

Nassau F hovers to the north of parental Leeuwenhoek and to the northwest of Leeuwenhoek E. Nassau F claims the most southerly and easterly reaches of the Nassau Crater system’s three satellites.

Nassau F is centered at minus 25.33 degrees south latitude, minus 179.09 degrees west longitude. It registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 23.75 degrees south and minus 26.92 degrees south, respectively. It finds easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 177.01 degrees west and 178.82 degrees east, respectively. Nassau F’s diameter measures 115.37 kilometers.

Northeastern Leeuwenhoek E jostles the outward bulge in southwestern Orlov Crater. Orlov is centered at minus 25.77 degrees south latitude, minus 175.08 degrees west longitude. It records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 24.59 degrees south and minus 26.95 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes are found at minus 173.75 degrees west and minus 176.41 degrees west, respectively. Orlov Crater has a diameter of 72.93 kilometers.

Rumford T resides as Leeuwenhoek E’s eastern neighbor. Rumford T claims the largest diameter in the Rumford Crater system.

Rumford T is centered at minus 28.54 degrees south latitude, minus 172.15 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch from minus 26.7 degrees south to minus 30.38 degrees south, respectively. It posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 170.05 degrees west and minus 174.24 degrees west, respectively. Rumford T’s diameter measures 111.67 kilometers.

Leeuwenhoek Crater honors Dutch microscopist Antony van Leeuwenhoek (Oct. 24, 1632-Aug. 26, 1723). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved Leeuwenhoek as the crater’s official name in 1970, during the organization’s XIVth (14th) General Assembly, held in Brighton, United Kingdom, from Tuesday, Aug. 18, to Thursday, Aug. 27. Prior to its formal naming, Leeuwenhoek Crater was known as Crater 375.

Approval of the letter designation for the Leeuwenhoek Crater system’s solitary satellite was granted in 2006. The satellite’s letter designation, E, represents its northeasterly placement with respect to its parent. According to the lettered 24-hour dial, E’s position between 2 (D) and 3 (F) translates as northeast of its parent’s location at the clock face’s center.

Antony van Leeuwenhoek’s concern for accurate assessment of the quality of the thread in the cloths sold in his draper shop motivated his interest in lensmaking. The self-taught microscopist then applied his powerful lenses to the study of microscopic organisms.

With the encouragement of Dutch Golden Age anatomist and physician Reinier de Graaf (July 30, 1641-Aug. 17, 1673), van Leeuwenhoek’s began communicating his microbiological observations to the Royal Society, formally known as The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge. His first report, published in The Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions in 1673, described microscopic observations of mold, a bee and a louse. Van Leeuwenhoek’s microbiological discoveries included documentation of such phenomena as bacteria, protozoa and spermatozoa.

According to The Royal Society website, Philosophical Transactions published 190 communications from van Leeuwenhoek. The self-taught microscopist and microbiologist was elected as a Fellow of The Royal Society on Jan. 29, 1680.

The takeaways for Leeuwenhoek Crater, which honors Dutch microscopist Antony van Leeuwenhoek, are that the far side lunar impact crater parents one satellite in the southeastern quadrant; that Nassau F, Orlov and Rumford T occur as the Leeuwenhoek Crater system’s immediate neighbors; and that the Leeuwenhoek Crater system’s namesake was a draper whose self-taught skills as a maker of magnifying lenses led him to discoveries of microscopic phenomena.

Image obtained with 70mm Hasselblad camera during the Apollo 17 mission’s lunar revolution 16, December 1972, shows Orlov Y (lower-center), Orlov Crater (upper left) and the Leeuwenhoek Crater system of satellite E and primary Leeuwenhoek (upper); NASA ID AS17-150-22949: No known copyright restrictions, via U.S. National Archives

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 Charts (LAC) 104 shows the lunar far side’s Leeuwenhoek Crater system of parental Leeuwenhoek (lower left) and satellite E (center), with neighbors Nassau F (upper left), Orlov (upper center) and Rumford T (center-lower right); 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/lac104_wac.pdf

Image obtained with 70mm Hasselblad camera during the Apollo 17 mission’s lunar revolution 16, December 1972, shows Orlov Y (lower-center), Orlov Crater (upper left) and the Leeuwenhoek Crater system of satellite E and primary Leeuwenhoek (upper); NASA ID AS17-150-22949: No known copyright restrictions, via U.S. National Archives @ https://nara.getarchive.net/media/as17-150-22949-apollo-17-apollo-17-moon-orlov-leeuwenhoek-4af539; via USRA LPI’s Apollo Image Atlas @ https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/frame/?AS17-150-22949

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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3329

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Leeuwenhoek E.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4493

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