Halley Crater Honors British Astronomer Edmond Halley

Summary: Halley Crater honors British astronomer Edmond Halley, who accurately predicted the 1758 return of the comet that bears his name.

Oblique view, obtained April 1972 during Apollo 16 mission, shows Halley Crater’s intrusion (lower center) into Hipparchus Crater (center), with Sinus Medii (Bay of the Center) near horizon (upper left); NASA ID AS-0839: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The lunar near side’s Halley Crater honors British astronomer Edmond Halley, whose astronomical achievements include accurately predicting the 1758 return of the short-period comet that bears his name.

Halley Crater occurs as an equatorial-latitude impact crater in the lunar near side’s southeastern quadrant. The somewhat worn-rimmed crater presents a relatively level interior floor.

Victorian selenographer Thomas Gwyn Empy Elger (Oct. 27, 1836-Jan. 9, 1897) included Halley Crater in his comprehensive lunar guide, The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features, published in 1895. He described the crater’s “bright” western wall as “. . . rising at one point . . . to a height of 7500 feet above the floor, which is depressed about 4000 feet below the surface” (pages 143-144). He also noted two floor craterlets as raising “. . . a suspicion of recent lunar activity within this ring” (page 144).

Halley Crater is centered at minus 8.05 degrees south latitude, 5.73 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern hemisphere crater obtains its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 7.48 degrees south and minus 8.62 degrees south, respectively. The eastern hemisphere crater’s easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 6.31 degrees east and 5.15 degrees east, respectively. Halley Crater’s diameter measures 34.59 kilometers.

Halley barges into the southern wall of Hipparchus. The larger impact crater has a worn rim and a partially resurfaced floor. The relative smoothness of the lava-flow resurfaced portion of Hipparchus contrasts with the ruggedness of the crater's southwestern floor, where Halley Crater intrudes.

Hipparchus is centered at minus 5.36 degrees south latitude, 4.91 degrees east longitude. It records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 2.98 degrees south and minus 7.73 degrees south, respectively. It registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 7.3 degrees east and 2.53 degrees east, respectively. Hipparchus has a diameter of 143.95 kilometers.

A bright scar appearing on Hipparchus’ southern rim slashes in a south-southeast orientation into Halley’s northwestern rim and brightens much of Halley’s western rim. The feature, which Elger describes as a “magnificent valley,” continues, less brightly, near the southeastern ramparts of Albategnius.

Lying to the southwest of Halley Crater, Albategnius exhibits a terraced rim. The crater’s central peak prominently rises, as the midpoint’s western offset, above the level interior floor.

Albategnius is centered at minus 11.24 degrees south latitude, 4.01 degrees east longitude. It posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 9.09 degrees south and minus 13.41 degrees south, respectively. It finds its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 6.2 degrees east and 1.8 degrees east, respectively. Albategnius has a diameter of 130.84 kilometers.

Halley Crater parents four satellites in the equatorial latitudes on the lunar near side. Two of the Halley Crater system’s four satellites, Halley B and Halley G, associate with their parent’s western side. Halley C is an east-side resident. Halley K nestles into its parent’s southern rim.

Halley Crater honors British astronomer Edmond Halley (Nov. 8, 1656-Jan. 25, 1742). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved Halley as the crater’s official name in 1935, during the organization’s XVth (5th) General Assembly, which was held in Paris, France, from Wednesday, July 10, to Wednesday, July 17. The letter designations for the Halley Crater system’s four satellites received approval in 2006.

Edmund Halley’s legacy includes his association with the comet that bears his name, Halley’s Comet. Also known as Comet Halley, the short-period comet has the official designation of 1P/Halley.

In “A Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets,” first published in Latin as Astronomiae Cometicae Synopsis in the March 1705 issue of The Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions, Halley determined that comet sightings in 1531, 1607 and 1682 concerned the same comet. He stated in the English version of the article: “And, indeed, there are many Things which make me believe that the Comet which Apian obſerv’d in the Year 1531, was the ſame with that which Kepler and Longomontanus took Notice of and deſcrib’d in the Year 1607, and which I my ſelf have ſeen return, and obſerv’d in the Year 1682. All the elements agree, and nothing ſeems to contradict this my Opinion . . .” (page 21).

He linked the three sightings with an earlier, 15th-century sighting. He explained: “. . . in the Year 1456, in the Summer time, a Comet was ſeen paſſing Retrograde between the Earth and the Sun, much after the ſame Manner: Which, tho’ no Body made Obſervations upon it, yet from its Period, and the Manner of its Tranſit, I cannot think different from thoſe I have juſt now mention’d.”

Halley then predicted: “Hence I dare venture to foretell, That it will return again in the Year 1758” (page 22).

The takeaways for Halley Crater, which honors British astronomer Edmond Halley, are that the lunar impact crater lies in the near side’s southeastern quadrant; that Halley Crater intrudes into the southern wall of Hipparchus Crater; that the equatorial region crater parents four satellites; that the crater’s namesake is particularly remembered for his accurate prediction of the 1758 reappearance of the comet that bears his name.

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows (center right) Halley Crater’s equatorial-latitude neighborhood in the lunar near side’s southeastern quadrant: 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:

Oblique view, obtained April 1972 during Apollo 16 mission, shows Halley Crater’s intrusion (lower center) into Hipparchus Crater (center), with Sinus Medii (Bay of the Center) near horizon (upper left); NASA ID AS16-M-0839: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HipparchusCrater.jpg;
Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AS16-M-0839.png

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows (center right) Halley Crater’s equatorial-latitude neighborhood in the lunar near side’s southeastern quadrant: 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:

Andersson, Leif E.; and Ewen A. Whitaker. NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA Reference Publication 1097. Washington DC: NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scientific and Technical Information Branch, October 1982.
Available via NASA NTRS (NASA Technical Reports Server) @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19830003761.pdf

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

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Halley.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 143-144. London [England]: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/143/

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Ring-Plains.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 12-14. London [England]: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/12/

Grego, Peter. The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. London UK: Springer-Verlag, 2005.

Halleio, Edmundo. “Astronomiae Cometicae Synopsis.” Philosophical Transactions, Giving Some Account of the Present Undertakings, Studies and Labours of the Ingenious in Many Considerable Parts of the World, vol. XXIV, for the Years 1704 and 1705, no. 297 (March 1705): 1882-1899. London [England]: Printed for S. Smith and B. Walford, Printers to the Royal Society, MDCCVI (1706).
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39076000296744?urlappend=%3Bseq=432
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/i206889
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/102980.pdf

Halley, Edmund. A Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets. Translated from the original, printed at Oxford. London [England]: Printed for John Senex, 1705.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/synopsisofastron00hall/

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Albategnius.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/162

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Halley.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2330

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Halley B.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9692

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Halley C.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9693

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Halley G.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9694

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Halley K.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9695

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Hipparchus.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2516

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.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/MOON/target

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

Marriner, Derdriu. “Herschel Crater Hosts Eight Satellites in South Central Lunar Near Side.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/08/herschel-crater-hosts-eight-satellites.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Lunar Crater Herschel Honors German-British Astronomer William Herschel.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/08/lunar-crater-herschel-honors-german.html

The Moon Wiki. “Albategnius.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > A Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Albategnius

The Moon Wiki. “Halley.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > H Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Halley

The Moon Wiki. “Hipparchus.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > H Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Hipparchus

The Moon Wiki. “IAU Directions.” The Moon.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_directions

The Moon Wiki. “Sinus Medii.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > M Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Sinus_Medii

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.

The Royal Society. “Halley; Edmond (1656-?1742).” The Royal Society > Fellows.
Available via The Royal Society @ https://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=18&dsqSearch=%28%28text%29%3D%27Halley%27%29

Space.com Staff. “Photos of Halley’s Comet Through History.” Space.com > News > Science & Astronomy. Oct. 22, 2011.
Available @ https://www.space.com/11552-photos-halleys-comet-images-astronomy.html

Stratton, F.J.M. (Frederick John Marrian), ed. Vth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. V B Proceedings of the 5th General Assembly Paris France, July 10-17, 1935. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, Jan. 1, 1936.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/

van der Hucht, Karel A., ed. XXVIth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. XVII B Proceedings of the 26th General Assembly Prague, Czech Republic, August 14-25, 2006. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, Dec. 30, 2008.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/