Derain Quadrangle Is Tenth of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface

Summary: Derain Quadrangle is the 10th of 15 quadrangles of the Mercurian surface and covers equatorial and low latitudes longitudinally from 288 to 0 degrees.

Image obtained Oct. 6, 2008, by Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of MESSENGER robotic space probe's Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) contrasts darkness of Derain Crater (center) and of rayed Berkel Crater (lower right) with two bright-rayed nearby craters (center right); NASA ID PIA13488; image addition date 2010-10-12; image credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

Derain Quadrangle is the 10th of 15 quadrangles of the Mercurian surface, and its map covers the Swift Planet's equatorial and low latitudes of 22 degrees south to 22 degrees north latitude, from 288 to 0 degrees west longitude.

As the 10th of Mercury's 15 quadrangles, Derain Quadrangle has the letter-number designation of H-10 or H10. H denotes Hermes, Greek mythology's equivalent of Roman mythology's Mercurius.

Derain Quadrangle's provisional name, Pieria, designates a light patch on Mercury's surface. Greek French astronomer Eugène Michel Antoniadi (March 1, 1870-Feb. 10, 1944) placed Pieria in the southern hemisphere's low latitudes on the map of Mercury's albedo features in his guide, La Planète Mercure, published in 1934 and translated into English by English amateur astronomer Sir Patrick Moore (March 4, 1923-Dec. 9, 2012) in 1974 (figure 5, page 26). Pieria (Greek: Πιερία) references a regional unit in Northern Greece's historical province of Macedonia. The Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic poem composed around the eighth century BCE identified Pieria's Mount Pierus as the departure point for Hermes, as messenger of the gods, in his mission to inform nymph Calypso to release Trojan War survivor Odysseus, king of Ithaca, from his seven-year detention.

The names of Mercury's quadrangles conventionally associate with prominent local features. Derain Quadrangle's namesake is Derain Crater. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) considers names of historically significant artists, authors, musicians and painters for Mercury's craters. The crater's name, approved July 9, 2009, honors French artist André Derain (June 10, 1880-Sept. 8, 1954).

Derain Crater is centered at minus 9 degrees south latitude, 340.3 degrees west longitude, according to the IAU's U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center-maintained Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern hemisphere crater finds its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 6.94 degrees south and minus 11.07 degrees south, respectively. It obtains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 338.2 degrees west and 342.39 degrees west, respectively. Derain Crater's diameter measures 167 kilometers.

Derain Crater occurs in southwestern Derain Quadrangle. The NASA-owned Jet Propulsion Laboratory 's (JPL) online Photojournal post of Oct. 12, 2010, "Dark Doings at Derain," dated the first image of Derain Crater to NASA's second Mercury flyby, conducted Oct. 6, 2008, by MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging) robotic space probe. The Photojournal post described Derain Crater's "uncommonly" dark halo and dark interior material as having ". . . the lowest reflectance yet identified . . ." on the Mercurian surface.

Ellington Crater lies to the southeast of Derain Crater. The crater's name, approved Apr 24, 2012, honors American composer, conductor and pianist Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899-May 24, 1974).

Ellington Crater is centered at minus 12.88 degrees south latitude, 333.9 degrees west longitude. The southern hemisphere crater records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 10.44 degrees south and minus 15.32 degrees south, respectively. It registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 331.3 degrees west and 336.51 degrees west, respectively. Ellington Crater's diameter spans 216 kilometers.

Berkel Crater lies in southeastern Ellington Crater. Photojournal's Oct. 12, 2010, post noted the rayed crater's dark center and halo, which contrast with the absence of dark haloes in two bright-rayed northern neighbors. The crater's name, approved Jul 9, 2009, honors Turkish-Albanian modernist painter Sabri Berkel (March 21, 1907-Aug. 4, 1993).

Berkel Crater is centered at minus 13.73 degrees south latitude, 333.19 degrees west longitude. The southern hemisphere crater posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 13.47 degrees south and minus 13.98 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 332.9 degrees west and 333.48 degrees west. Berkel Crater has a diameter of 23 kilometers.

Derain Quadrangle shares border with four neighbors. Hokusai Quadrangle (H-5) neighbor along Derain Quadrangle's northern border. Eminescu Quadrangle (H-9) occurs as Derain Quadrangle's eastern neighbor. Debussy Quadrangle (H-14) is contiguous with Derain Quadrangle's southern border. Derain Quadrangle's western neighbor is Kuiper Quadrangle (H-6).

The takeaways for Derain Quadrangle as the 10th of 15 quadrangles of the Mercurian surface are that the equator-straddling quadrangle's namesake is dark haloed Derain Crater, which honors French artist André Derain; that Ellington Crater lies to the southeast of Derain Crater; that Berkel Crater, which occupies southeastern Ellington Crater, is a bright-rayed, dark-haloed crater; and that Derain Quadrangle shares borders with northern neighbor Hokusai Quadrangle, eastern neighbor Eminescu Quadrangle, southern neighbor Debussy Quadrange and western neighbor Kuiper Quadrangle.

Detail of Map of the H-10 (Derain) Quadrangle of Mercury shows the equatorial region's namesake, Derain Crater, with southeastern neighbor Ellington Crater and Berkel Crater on Ellington's southeastern floor; credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS: courtesy IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center's 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:

Image obtained Oct. 6, 2008, by Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of MESSENGER robotic space probe's Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) contrasts darkness of Derain Crater (center) and of rayed Berkel Crater (lower right) with two bright-rayed nearby craters (center right); NASA ID PIA13488; image addition date 2010-10-12; image credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13488; Generally not subject to copyright in the United States; may use this material for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits, computer graphical simulations and Internet Web pages; general permission extends to personal Web pages, via NASA Image and Video Library @ https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA13488

Detail of Map of the H-10 (Derain) Quadrangle of Mercury shows the equatorial region's namesake, Derain Crater, with southeastern neighbor Ellington Crater and Berkel Crater on Ellington's southeastern floor; credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS: courtesy IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center's Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/H-10.pdf

For further information:

Antoniadi, E.M. (Eugène Michel). La Planète Mercure et la Rotation des Satellites. Paris, France: Gauthier-Villars, 1934.

Chapman, Clark R., David M.H. Baker; Olivier S. Barnouin; Caleb J. Fassett; Simone Marchi; William J. Merline; Lillian R. Ostrach; Louise M. Prockter; and Robert J. Strom. "Chapter 9: Impact Cratering of Mercury." Pages 217-248. In Sean C. Solomon; Larry R. Nittler; and Brian J. Anderson, eds., Mercury: The View After MESSENGER. Cambridge Planetary Science. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Available via Google Books @ https://books.google.com/books?id=4o92DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA217

Davies, Merton E.; Stephen E. Dwornik; Donald E. Gault; and Robert G. Strom. Atlas of Mercury. Special Publication SP-423. Prepared for the Office of Space Sciences. Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scientific and Technical Information Office, 1978.
Available @ https://history.nasa.gov/SP-423/

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Berkel.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 7, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14576

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Surface Feature Categories.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Coordinate Systems for Planets and Satellites.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Target Coordinate Systems.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/TargetCoordinates

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Derain.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 11, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14579

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Descriptor Terms (Feature Types).” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Descriptor Terms.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ellington.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 11, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14957

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Target: Mercury.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/MERCURY/target

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Xiao Zhao.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 14, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14392

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA12157: Locations of Mercury's Newly Named Craters." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2009-07-28.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12157

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA13488: Dark Doings at Derain." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2010-10-12.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13488

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA15478: Singin' in Derain." NASA JPL Photojournal. Image addition date 2012-03-09.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA15478

Marriner, Derdriu. "Beethoven Quadrangle Is Seventh of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 5, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/03/beethoven-quadrangle-is-seventh-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Borealis Quadrangle Is First of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/01/borealis-quadrangle-is-first-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Eminescu Quadrangle Is Ninth of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 19, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/03/eminescu-quadrangle-is-ninth-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hokusai Quadrangle Is Fifth of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/02/hokusai-quadrangle-is-fifth-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Kuiper Quadrangle Is Sixth of 15 Quadrangles of the Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/02/kuiper-quadrangle-is-sixth-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Raditladi Quadrangle Is Fourth of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/01/raditladi-quadrangle-is-fourth-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Shakespeare Quadrangle Is Third of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/01/shakespeare-quadrangle-is-third-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tolstoj Quadrangle Is Eighth of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 12, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/03/tolstoj-quadrangle-is-eighth-of-15.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Victoria Quadrangle is Second of 15 Quadrangles of Mercurian Surface." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/01/victoria-quadrangle-is-second-of-15.html

Talbert, Tricia, ed. "Dramatic Darks of Derain." NASA > Image Feature. April 16, 2015.
Available @ https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/dramatic-darks-of-derain