Béla Crater Resides in Southeastern Mare Imbrium on Lunar Near Side

Summary: Béla Crater resides in the southeastern Mare Imbrium on the lunar near side in a quartet of craters that neighbors in southern Rima Hadley.

Detail of Near Side Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Béla's (left center) Rima Hadley neighborhood in southeastern Mare Imbrium: USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Béla Crater resides in the southeastern Mare Imbrium on the lunar near side in a quartet of northeastern quadrant craters that neighbor in southern Rima Hadley.

Béla Crater is centered at 24.67 degrees north latitude, 2.27 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The northeastern quadrant crater establishes its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 24.84 degrees north and 24.51 degrees north, respectively. It finds its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 2.34 degrees east and 2.23 degrees east. Béla Crater has a diameter of 10.07 kilometers.

Béla Crater is located in the southeastern edge of Mare Imbrium. Béla Crater is positioned to the southwest of the highland break that marks the joining of eastern Mare Imbrium with western Mare Serenitatis.

Mare Imbrium ("Sea of Showers") stretches across the northern near side as the second largest of the moon's dark, basaltic plains (Latin: maria, "sea"; maria, "seas"). Mare Imbrium's territorial expanse includes crossing the lunar prime meridian, measured at 0 degrees of longitude, to qualify it for northwestern and northeastern quadrant occupancy.

Mare Imbrium is centered at 34.72 degrees north latitude, minus 14.91 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to 51.46 degrees north and 15.23 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 8.56 degrees east and minus 38.36 degrees west, respectively. Mare Imbrium's diameter spans 1,145.53 kilometers.

Béla Crater is sited at the southern end of Rima Hadley. The fissure (Latin: rima, "fissure") zigzags to the northwest of southeastern Mare Imbrium's Montes Appeninus.

Known informally as Hadley Rille, Rima Hadley is centered at 25.72 degrees north latitude, 3.15 degrees east longitude. The rille obtains its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 26.7 degrees north and 24.53 degrees north, respectively. It marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 3.58 degrees east and 2.26 degrees east, respectively. Rima Hadley diameter measures 116.09 kilometers.

Carlos, Jomo and Taizo form a quartet with Béla as nearest named craters neighboring in southern Rima Hadley. Carlos lies to the north, on the same side of the rille as Béla. Jomo is located to the southeast of Béla. Taizo's siting on the western side of the rille's south end, opposite and slightly west-northwest of Béla, qualifies it as the closer of Béla two neighbors.

Carlos is centered at 24.91 degrees north latitude, 2.28 degrees west longitude. The small crater posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 24.99 degrees north and 24.84 degrees north, respectively. It places its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 2.31 degrees west and 2.25 degrees west, respectively. Carlos has a diameter of 4.67 kilometers.

Jomo is centered at 24.41 degrees north latitude, 2.44 degrees west longitude. It finds its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 24.51 degrees north and 24.31 degrees north, respectively. It establishes its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 2.56 degrees east and 2.33 degrees east, respectively. Jomo's diameter measures 7.36 kilometers.

Taizo is centered at 24.7 degrees north latitude, 2.2 degrees east longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at 24.84 degrees north and 24.57 degrees north, respectively. It obtains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 2.23 degrees east and 2.16 degrees east, respectively. Taizo's diameter measures 8.19 kilometers.

Béla's residence in southern Rima Hadley places the northern hemisphere crater to the northwest of Montes Appeninus. The rugged range marks Mare Imbrium's southeastern edges.

Montes Appeninus ("Appenine Mountains") are centered at 19.87 degrees north latitude, 0.03 degrees east longitude. The range's northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to 28.47 degrees north and 14.63 degrees north, respectively. The range's easternmost and westernmost longitudes tap 7.34 degrees east and minus 10.21 degrees west, respectively. The diameter, or greatest length, of Montes Appeninus spans 599.67 kilometers.

Béla numbers among 95 minor features identified with first-name designations on lunar topophotomaps prepared and published by The Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Béla is plotted on NASA Lunar Topophotomap 41B4S3, which was published in May 1975. The map's Names Information lists "Béla, Carlos, Jomo, Taizo" as unofficial names used "only for the identification of features on this map."

The International Astronomical Union approved Béla as the crater's official name in 1976. The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature identifies Béla as a "Hungarian male name, also Slovak female name."

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 41 shows Béla's (left center) Rima Hadley neighborhood in southeastern Mare Imbrium: image credit NASA/GSFC/ASU, 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:

Detail of Near Side Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Béla's (left center) Rima Hadley neighborhood in southeastern Mare Imbrium: USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/moon_nearside.pdf

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 41 shows Béla's (left center) Rima Hadley neighborhood in southeastern Mare Imbrium: image credit NASA/GSFC/ASU, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_41_wac.pdf

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