Dalton Crater Honors British Chemist and Physicist John Dalton

Summary: Dalton Crater honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton, whose scientific contributions include pioneering atomic theory.

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 37 shows Dalton Crater and its neighbors in the vicinity of the lunar near’s northwestern limb; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Dalton Crater honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton, who is acknowledged as a pioneer in atomic theory.

Dalton Crater is an equatorial-latitude lunar impact crater with northwestern limb nearness on the lunar near side. Dalton features terraced interior walls. A system of rilles (German: rille, “groove”) form generally concentric circles with the crater’s inner wall. A central peak offset arises just to the north of the crater’s midpoint.

Dalton Crater is centered at 17.07 degrees north latitude, minus 84.45 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The northern hemisphere crater finds its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 18.07 degrees north and 16.06 degrees north, respectively. The equatorial latitude crater posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 83.41 degrees west and minus 65.5 degrees west, respectively. Dalton Crater’s diameter measures 60.69 kilometers.

Western Dalton Crater has formed a neighborly attachment with Einstein Crater’s eastern rim. Einstein Crater’s location to the west of Dalton places its western extent at and beyond the near side’s western limb.

Einstein Crater is centered at 16.6 degrees north latitude, minus 88.65 degrees west longitude. The impact-bombarded crater records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 19.6 degrees north and 13.61 degrees north, respectively. Dalton Crater’s nearest neighbor registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 85.54 west and minus 91.77 degrees west, respectively. Einstein Crater’s diameter spans 181.47 kilometers.

Balboa Crater and Vasco da Gama Crater also reside in Dalton Crater’s vicinity. Balboa Crater and satellite Balboa A lie to Dalton’s north-northeast and east-northeast, respectively. Vasco da Gama and Vasco da Gama B are located to the south and southeast of Dalton, respectively.

Dalton Crater’s northern neighbor, Balboa Crater, is centered at 19.24 degrees north latitude, minus 83.31 degrees west longitude. Balboa’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at 20.38 degrees north and 18.1 degrees north, respectively. Balboa obtains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 82.1 degrees west and minus 84.52 degrees west, respectively. Balboa Crater’s diameter measures 69.19 kilometers.

Dalton Crater’s eastern neighbor, Balboa A, is centered at 17.42 degrees north latitude, minus 82.02 degrees west longitude. The satellite crater limits its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to 18.19 degrees north and 16.65 degrees north, respectively. It restricts its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to minus 81.21 degrees west and minus 82.83 degrees west, respectively. Balboa A has a diameter of 46.66 kilometers.

Dalton Crater’s southern neighbor, Vasco da Gama Crater, is centered at 13.78 degrees north latitude, minus 83.94 degrees west longitude. The northern hemisphere crater’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at 15.33 degrees north and 12.24 degrees north, respectively. It marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 82.35 degrees west and minus 85.52 degrees west, respectively. Vasco da Gama Crater’s diameter spans 93.52 kilometers.

Vasco da Gama Crater’s satellite B is centered at 15.72 degrees north latitude, minus 83.12 degrees west longitude. B confines its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to 16.13 degrees north and 15.3 degrees north, respectively. It narrows its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to minus 82.69 degrees west and minus 83.55 degrees west, respectively. Vasco da Gama B has a diameter of 25.06 kilometers.

Dalton Crater honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton (Sept. 6, 1766-July 27, 1844). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved Dalton as the crater’s official name in 1964, during the organization’s XIIth (12th) General Assembly, held in Hamburg, Germany, from Tuesday, Aug. 25, to Thursday, Sept. 3.

The Royal Society, formally known as The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, was founded on Nov. 28, 1660. John Dalton was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) on March 7, 1822, according to The Royal Society website.

The Royal Medals, initiated by George IV (Aug. 12, 1762-June 26, 1830), King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1825, were first awarded in 1826. The first two recipients were John Dalton and British mathematician James Ivory (Feb. 17, 1765-Sept. 21, 1842). Dalton’s citation stated: “For his development of the Atomic Theory and his other important labours and discoveries in Physical Science.”

The takeaways for Dalton Crater, which honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton, are that the equatorial latitude lunar impact crater lies, in northwestern limb nearness, in the near side’s northwestern quadrant; and that the lunar crater’s namesake is honored as one of the first two recipients of the Royal Medal, awarded in 1826.

Detail of image obtained 1967 by Lunar Orbiter 4 shows Dalton Crater; NASA ID 4182 H2: James Stuby (Jstuby), 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:

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 37 shows Dalton Crater and its neighbors in the vicinity of the lunar near’s northwestern limb; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_37_wac.pdf

Detail of image obtained 1967 by Lunar Orbiter 4 shows Dalton Crater; NASA ID 4182 H2: James Stuby (Jstuby), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dalton_crater_4182_h2.jpg

For further information:

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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7514

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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1392

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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1745

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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6327

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