Summary: Lunar crater Minkowski honors Hermann and Rudolph Minkowski, uncle and nephew German scientists respectively specialized in mathematics and astrophysics.
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| Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 133 shows far side’s Minkowski Crater with interior satellite S (center), northwestern neighbors Baldet and Baldet J (upper left), northeastern neighbor Karrer (upper right), southeastern neighbor Fizeau S (center right) and southwestern / southern neighbors Lemaître and Lemaître C (lower left); scale 1:1,000,000 Polar Stereographic Projection: Courtesy NASA/GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center)/ASU (Arizona State University), via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |
Far side lunar crater Minkowski honors Hermann and Rudolph Minkowski, uncle and nephew German scientists specializing in mathematics and astrophysics, respectively.
Minkowski Crater occupies the lunar far side's southeastern quadrant. The southern middle-latitude occupant lies near the northern reaches of the far side's south polar region.
The worn crater is centered at minus 56.13 degrees south latitude, minus 145.8 degrees east longitude, according to International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 54.36 degrees south and minus 57.9 degrees south, respectively. The craterlet-riddled crater obtains easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 142.62 degrees east and minus 148.98 degrees east, respectively. Minkowski’s diameter spans 107.51 kilometers.
Minkowsi Crater presents a heavily eroded outer rim. Numerous craters extensively gouge Minkowski's rim. Craters and craterlets dot Minkowski's relatively level interior floor. A dark patch, typical of lava flooding, splashes across the floor's northeastern quadrant.
The far side crater parents one satellite. Minkowksi S claims a location that is slightly off-center from the midpoint of its parent's interior floor.
Minkowski S is centered at minus 56.2 degrees south latitude, minus 146.08 degrees east longitude. It posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 55.98 degrees south and minus 56.42 degrees south, respectively. S marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 145.68 degrees east and minus 146.48 degrees east, respectively. Satellite S has a diameter of 13.59 kilometers.
Baldet Crater system and Karrer Crater occur as Minkowski Crater's nearest named northern neighbors. The Baldet Crater system lies to the northwest of Minkowski. Karrer resides to the northeast of Minkowski.
Baldet Crater is centered at minus 53.32 degrees south latitude, minus 151.96 degrees east longitude. The lava-flooded crater's northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 52.4 degrees south and minus 54.24 degrees south, respectively. Worn-rimmed Baldet finds its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 150.42 degrees east and minus 153.5 degrees east, respectively. Baldet Crater's diameter measures 55.76 kilometers.
Baldet Crater's only satellite, Baldet J, lies between its parent and Minkowski Crater. J is located to the southeast of its parent.
Baldet J is centered at minus 54.77 degrees south latitude, minus 150.25 degrees east longitude. The satellite posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 54.49 degrees south and minus 55.06 degrees south, respectively. J's easternmost and westernmost longitudes are found at minus 149.75 degrees east and minus 150.74 degrees east, respectively. Baldet J has a diameter of 17.2 kilometers.
Karrer Crater is positioned to the northeast of the Baldet and Minkowski crater systems. Karrer is centered at minus 52.06 degrees south latitude, minus 142.28 degrees east longitude. The dark crater marks its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 51.23 degrees south and minus 52.92 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes are marked at minus 140.83 degrees east and minus 143.74 degrees east, respectively. Karrer Crater's diameter measures 55.56 kilometers.
Minkowski Crater claims the Fizeau and Lemaître crater systems as nearest named southern neighbors. Fizeau lies to the east-southeast of Minkowski. Lemaître resides to the southwest of Minkowski.
Partially terraced Fizeau Crater is centered at minus 58.19 degrees south latitude, minus 134.11 degrees east longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to minus 56.42 degrees south and minus 59.95 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to minus 130.77 degrees east and minus 137.46 degrees east, respectively. Fizeau Crater's diameter spans 107.08 kilometers.
As the westernmost of Fizeau Crater's five satellites, Fizeau S, is interposed between its parent and Minkowski Crater. S is located to the southeast of Minkowski Crater.
Fizeau S is centered at minus 58.66 degrees south latitude, minus 140.43 degrees east longitude. S posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 57.64 degrees south and minus 59.68 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach from minus 138.75 degrees east to minus 142.07 degrees east, respectively. Fizeau S has a diameter of 64.08 kilometers.
Lemaître Crater is centered at minus 61.36 degrees south latitude, minus 149.98 degrees east longitude. The south polar region resident's northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend from minus 59.82 degrees south to minus 62.91 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend from minus 146.74 degrees east to minus 153.22 degrees east, respectively. Lemaître Crater's diameter measures 93.7 kilometers.
As the northernmost of Lemaître Crater's three satellites, Lemaître C lies to the south of Minkowski Crater. C is centered at minus 59.53 degrees south latitude, minus 145.75 degrees east longitude. C's northernmost and southernmost latitudes skim from minus 59.09 degrees south to minus 59.97 degrees south, respectively. It posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 144.88 degrees east and minus 146.62 degrees east, respectively. Lemaître C has a diameter of 26.64 kilometers.
The IAU approved primary crater Minkowski’s name in 1970, during the organization’s XIVth (14th) General Assembly, held from Tuesday, Aug. 18, to Thursday, Aug. 27, 1970, in Brighton, United Kingdom. Satellite S received approval of its designation in 2006, during the IAU’s XXVIth (26th) General Assembly, held in Prague, Czech Republic, from Monday, Aug. 14, to Friday, Aug. 25.
The Minkowski Crater system honors Jewish German mathematician and mathematical physicist Hermann Minkowski (June 22, 1864-Jan. 12, 1909) and his nephew, German-American astrophysicist Rudolph Leo Minkowski (May 28, 1895-Jan. 4, 1976. Rudolph's father, Hermann's older brother, was German physician and diabetology researcher Oskar Minkowski (Jan. 13, 1858-July 18, 1931).
In his Astronomy Encyclopedia (2002), English amateur astronomer Sir Patrick Moore (March 4, 1923-Dec. 9, 2012) highlighted Hermann Minkowski's groundbreaking mathematical physics formulation of space and time as a four-dimensional spacetime continuum (page 264). Space and time were considered as separate entities prior to Minkowski's theories.
Sir Patrick noted Rudolph Minkowski's expertise in planetary nebulae, radio wave sources and supernovae. In The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists: Astronomers (1984), science textbook author David Abbott recognized Minkowski's 1960 discovery of radio galaxy C3 295 as standing at the most distant point on cosmology's velocity-distance diagram for 15 years (page 114).
The takeaway for the lunar far side's Minkowski Crater honoring Hermann and Rudolph Minkowski is that the parent and one satellite in the Minkowski Crater system have as namesakes uncle and nephew German scientists, 19th-century German mathematician and mathematical physicist Hermann Minkowski and 20th-century German-American astrophysicist Rudolph Minkowski.
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| Detail of Lunar Orbiter V image, taken August 1967, at a spacecraft altitude of 5069.05 kilometers, gives oblique view of Minkowski Crater with fairly central interior satellite Minkowski S (center) and northwestern neighbor Baldet J (upper right); Lunar and Planetary Institute / Orbiter Orbiter Photo Gallery Mission 5 Frame 5026, h1: JStuby (James L. Stuby), 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:
Image credits:
Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 133 shows far side’s Minkowski Crater with interior satellite S (center), northwestern neighbors Baldet and Baldet J (upper left), northeastern neighbor Karrer (upper right), southeastern neighbor Fizeau S (center right) and southwestern / southern neighbors Lemaître and Lemaître C (lower left); scale 1:1,000,000 Polar Stereographic Projection: Courtesy NASA/GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center)/ASU (Arizona State University), via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_133_wac.pdf
Detail of Lunar Orbiter V image, taken August 1967, at a spacecraft altitude of 5069.05 kilometers, gives oblique view of Minkowski Crater with fairly central interior satellite Minkowski S (center) and northwestern neighbor Baldet J (upper right); Lunar and Planetary Institute / Orbiter Orbiter Photo Gallery Mission 5 Frame 5026, h1: JStuby (James L. Stuby), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minkowski_crater_5026_h1.jpg
For further information:
For further information:
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Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/574
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7518
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1968
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1968
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9096
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2936
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2936
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3340
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3340
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/10743
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/10743
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Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/11442
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