Near Side Wolf Crater Honors German Astronomer Maximilian Wolf

Summary: Near side Wolf Crater honors German astronomer Maximilian Wolf, who, as a pioneer in astrophotography, discovered 248 asteroids.

Detail of Near Side Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography shows Wolf Crater with eastern neighbor Nicollet Crater and western neighbor Bullialdus Crater in the lunar near side's Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Near side Wolf Crater honors German astronomer Maximilian Wolf, whose pioneering work in astrophotography included discovering 248 asteroids.

Wolf Crater resides along the southern edge of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds) in the lunar near side's southwestern quadrant. The Moon-Wiki notes its location as 47 kilometers south of the center of the Sea of Clouds.

Wolf Crater's rim has been submerged extensively by its lava-flooded interior floor. Rim projections create a somewhat heart-shaped, irregular outline.

Wolf Crater is centered at minus 22.79 degrees south latitude, minus 16.63 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. It establishes northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 22.36 degrees south and minus 23.21 degrees south, respectively. It posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 16.17 degrees west and minus 17.09 degrees west, respectively. Wolf Crater has a diameter of 25.74 kilometers.

Wolf Crater parents nine satellites in Mare Nubium. Two satellites, Wolf B and Wolf G, intrude across their parent's broken rim. The Wolf Crater system's seven external satellites ring their parent.

As the Wolf Crater system's chain of three eastern satellites, Wolf F, H and C intervene between their parent and eastern neighbor Nicollet Crater. The sharply outlined, bowl-shaped crater is centered at minus 21.95 degrees south latitude, minus 12.5 degrees west longitude. It marks its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 21.71 degrees south and minus 22.19 degrees south, respectively. It obtains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 12.23 degrees west and minus 12.76 degrees west, respectively. Nicollet Crater's diameter measures 14.73 kilometers.

Bullialdus H, the most southeasterly of the Bullialdus Crater system's 10 satellites, lies to the west of Wolf Crater. Its location places it to the southwest of Wolf Crater system's most northwesterly satellite, Wolf A, and to the northwest of Wolf Crater system's most southwesterly satellite, Wolf T. Bullialdus H is centered at minus 33.75 degees south latitude, minus 19.36 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 22.68 degrees south and minus 22.83 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at minus 19.28 degrees west and minus 19.44 degrees west, respectively. Bullialdus H has a diameter of 4.38 kilometers.

Gould Crater resides to the north-northwest of Wolf S, the Wolf Crater system's most northerly satellite, and Gould X, the most southerly of the Gould Crater system's nine satellites, as Wolf Crater's nearest named north-northwesterly neighbor. The massively lava-flooded crater is centered at minus 19.26 degrees south latitude, minus 17.25 degrees west longitude. Gould Crater finds northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 18.71 degrees south and minus 19.8 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes are found at minus 16.67 degrees west and minus 17.82 degrees west, respectively. Gould Crater's diameter measures 32.99 kilometers.

Gould X's location near Wolf S's northwestern rim places it closer to the Wolf Crater system satellite than to its own crater system. As the closest Gould Crater system component to Wolf S's parent, Gould X lies to the north-northwest of Wolf Crater. Gould X is centered at minus 20.91 degrees south latitude, minus 16.92 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 20.87 degrees south and minus 20.95 degrees south, respectively. It claims easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 16.88 degrees west and minus 16.96 degrees west, respectively. Gould X has a diameter of 2.31 kilometers.

The Wolf Crater system occupies south central Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds). The near side southern hemisphere lunar mare is centered at minus 20.59 degrees south latitude, minus 17.29 degrees west longitude. The Sea of Clouds records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 11.85 degrees south and minus 30.48 degrees south. It registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 5.45 degrees west and minus 29.27 degrees west, respectively. Mare Nubium spans 714.5 kilometers.

The International Astronomical Union approved Wolf Crater’s name in 1935, during the organization’s Vth (5th) General Assembly, held in Paris, France, from Wednesday, July 10, to Wednesday, July 17. The designations of the Wolf Crater system's nine satellites were approved in 2006.

Wolf Crater honors German astronomer Maximilian "Max" Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (June 21, 1863-Oct. 3, 1932). Max Wolf's contributions to astronomy include pioneering the field of astrophotography. He is credited with making the first discovery of an asteroid via astrophotography with his Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1891, discovery of 323 Brucia. He named his first astrophotographic discovery after American philanthropist and international astronomy patron Catherine Wolfe Bruce (Jan. 22, 1816-March 13, 1900). In his history of astrophotography, Catchers of the Light (2012), British astronomer and astronomy historian Stefan Hughes tallies Max Wolf's asteroidal discoveries at 248 (vol. 1, page 398).

The takeaways for near side Wolf Crater honoring German astronomer Maximilian Wolf are that the southwestern quadrant crater parents nine satellites in south central Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds); that the lava-flooded crater's submerged and outcropped rim presents a somewhat heart-shaped outline; and that Wolf Crater eponymizes astrophotography pioneer Max Wolf, whose December 1891 detection of 323 Brucia qualifies as the first astrophotographic discovery of an asteroid.

Detail of Apollo 16 image, taken during Revolution 48, April 1972, with mapping/metric camera, captures Mare Nubium's broken-rimmed Wolf Crater (near horizon, upper center) with neighbors sharp-rimmed Nicollet Crater (upper center left; east), large Bullialdus Crater (upper right; west) and massively flooded, zigzag ridged Gould Crater (center; north); NASA ID AS16-M-2488; Apollo Image Atlas Metric Image Catalog: 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:

Detail of Near Side Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography shows Wolf Crater with eastern neighbor Nicollet Crater and western neighbor Bullialdus Crater in the lunar near side's Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/moon_nearside.pdf

Detail of Apollo 16 image, taken during Revolution 48, April 1972, with mapping/metric camera, captures Mare Nubium's broken-rimmed Wolf Crater (near horizon, upper center) with neighbors sharp-rimmed Nicollet Crater (upper center left; east), large Bullialdus Crater (upper right; west) and massively flooded, zigzag ridged Gould Crater (center; north); NASA ID AS16-M-2488; Apollo Image Atlas Metric Image Catalog: JStuby (James L. Stuby), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mare_Nubium_AS16-M-2488.jpg

For further information:

Abbott, David. The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists: Astronomers. New York NY: Peter Bedrick Books, 1984.

Campbell, W.W. (William Wallace). "Discovery of Asteroids by Photography." Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 4, no. 26 (Nov. 1, 1892): 264-265.
Available @ https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/120521

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

Hughes, Stefan. “IV.4. ‘The Verminator’ Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf.” Catchers of the Light: The Forgotten Lives of the Men and Women Who First Photographed the Heavens. Vol. 1 Catching Space, Part IV Planets & Comets Solar System Astrophotography: 393-417. Paphos, Cyprus: ArtDeCiel Publishing, 2012.
Available via Google Books @ https://books.google.com/books?id=iZk5OOf7fVYC

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Bullialdus H.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7990

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Gould.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2227

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Gould X.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9544

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Mare Nubium.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3684

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Nicollet.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4253

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6569

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13957

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf B.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13958

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf C.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13959

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf E.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13960

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf F.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13961

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf G.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13962

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf H.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13963

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf S.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13964

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf T.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13965

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Wolf F.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13961

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.

Lomb. "Harry Ponders on Crater Wolf -- Could This Interesting Crater Really Have a Volcanic Origin?" MAAS Museum > Observations. Feb. 24, 2009.
Available @ https://maas.museum/observations/2009/02/24/harry-ponders-on-crater-wolf-could-this-interesting-crater-really-have-a-volcanic-origin/

Lunar and Planetary Institute. "AS16-M-2488." USRA (Universities Space Research Association) LPI (Lunar and Planetary Institute) > Resources > Apollo Image Atlas > Mapping Metric Image Catalog > Apollo 16 > Revolution 48 AS16-M-2357 to AS16-M-2500.
Available @ https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/frame/?AS16-M-2488

Lunar and Planetary Institute. "AS16-M-2489." USRA (Universities Space Research Association) LPI (Lunar and Planetary Institute) > Resources > Apollo Image Atlas > Mapping Metric Image Catalog > Apollo 16 > Revolution 48 AS16-M-2357 to AS16-M-2500.
Available @ https://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/frame/?AS16-M-2489

The Moon-Wiki. “Mare Cognitum.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > C Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Cognitum

The Moon-Wiki. “Mare Nubium.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > N Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Nubium

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

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Astronomy Encyclopedia: An A-Z Guide to the Universe. New York NY: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2002.

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

Schultz, Peter H. Moon Morphology: Interpretations Based on Lunar Orbiter Photography. Austin TX: University of Texas Press, 1976.

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. IAU Transactions: XXVI B Proceedings of the XXVIth 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/