Vera Resides in East Central Oceanus Procellarum on Lunar Near Side

Summary: Vera resides in east central Oceanus Procellarum on the lunar near side as a northwestern quadrant craterlet near the Prinz Crater's northeastern rim.

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 39 shows Vera's (lower center) Prinz Crater neighborhood in lunar near side's east central Oceanus Procellarum: image credit NASA/GSFC/ASU, USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Vera resides in east central Oceanus Procellarum on the lunar near side as a northwestern quadrant craterlet with Prinz and Ivan as nearest named craters.

Vera is centered at 26.33 degrees north latitude, minus 43.71 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The craterlet obtains its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 26.36 degrees north and 26.29 degrees north, respectively. It establishes its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 43.67 degrees west and minus 43.75 degrees west, respectively. Vera has a diameter of 2.27 kilometers.

Vera is located in east central Oceanus Procellarum. The dark, basaltic plain sprawls across the near side's northwestern and southern quadrants. Oceanus Procellarum's vastness establishes it as the largest of the lunar maria (Latin: "seas"; mare, "sea"). Procellarum's unique classification as oceanus, defined by the Gazetter's Descriptor Terms (Feature Types) webpage as "A very large dark area on the moon," recognizes its immensity.

Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms") is centered at 20.67 degrees north latitude, minus 56.68 degrees west longitude. The dark, basaltic plain's northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to 57.43 degrees north and minus 16.27 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes span minus 26.85 degrees west to minus 81.08 degrees west, respectively. Oceanus Procellarum's diameter spans 2,592.24 kilometers.

Vera is situated in proximity to the northeastern rim of Oceanus Procellarum's Prinz Crater. Prior to official name approval as Vera, the craterlet was designated as Prinz A.

Prinz Crater is centered at 25.49 degrees north latitude, minus 44.14 degrees west longitude. The lunar impact crater remnant finds its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 26.25 degrees north and 24.73 degrees north, respectively. It lists easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 43.3 degrees west and minus 44.98 degrees west, respectively. Prinz Crater's diameter measures 46.13 kilometers.

Ivan lies to the northeast of Vera. Prior to official name approval in 1976, Ivan was designated as Prinz B.

Ivan is centered at 26.86 degrees north latitude, minus 43.26 degrees west longitude. The craterlet posts northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 26.92 degrees north and 26.79 degrees north, respectively. It marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 43.19 degrees west and minus 43.33 degrees west, respectively. Ivan has a diameter of 3.84 kilometers.

Krieger C is positioned to the northwest of Vera. The lunar impact crater lies to the southeast of Krieger Crater as its parent's only satellite.

Krieger C is centered at 27.73 degrees north latitude, minus 44.7 degrees west longitude. The satellite achieves northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 27.8 degrees north and 27.66 degrees north, respectively. It maintains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 44.62 degrees west and minus 44.78 degrees west, respectively. Krieger C has a diameter of 4.15 kilometers.

Montes Harbinger neighbors to the east of Vera. The mountain range's southern end sidles along eastern Prinz Crater.

The Montes Harbinger range is centered at 26.89 degrees north latitude, minus 41.29 degrees west longitude. The range gives northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 28.47 degrees north and 25.56 degrees north, respectively. Montes Harbinger's easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at minus 40.35 degrees west and minus 42.53 degrees west, respectively. Montes Harbinger's diameter measures 92.7 kilometers.

Rimae Prinz traverses Vera's neighborhood as a network of sinuous fissures, also described as rilles (from German rilles, "channels"). The system of rimae (Latin: "cracks, fissures") lies in the terrain bounded by Prinz Crater to the south, Krieger C to the northwest and Montes Harbinger to the east.

Rimae Prinz is centered at 27.05 degrees north latitude, minus 43.51 degrees west longitude. The fissured network's northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to 28.18 degrees north and 26 degrees north, respectively. The sinuous system's easternmost and westernmost longitudes touch minus 42.59 degrees west and minus 44.56 degrees west, respectively. Rimae Prinz's diameter measures 10.95 kilometers.

Lava flowing from Vera carved Rimae Prinz, according to "Rima Prinz and Vera," a visualization released Aug. 1, 2016, by Ernie Wright, science visualizer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), on NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio website. Vera may have originated as a lava lake. The system of channels finds to the west of Vera before cutting a sharp northerly turn. The serpentine appearance created by Vera as the snake's head and Rimae Prinz as the reptile's body encompasses approximately 75 kilometers.

Vera 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). Vera is plotted on NASA Lunar Topophotomap 39A3S1, which was published in December 1974. The map's Names Information lists "Ivan, Vera" as unofficial names used "only for the identification of features on this map."

The International Astronomical Union approved Vera as the craterlet's official name in 1976. The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature originates Vera as: "Latin female name."

Detail of Near Side Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Vera's (center right) Prinz Crater neighborhood in near side's east central Oceanus Procellarum: USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, 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.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 39 shows Vera's (lower center) Prinz Crater neighborhood in near side's east central Oceanus Procellarum: image credit NASA/GSFC/ASU, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_39_wac.pdf

Detail of Near Side Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Vera's (center right) Prinz Crater neighborhood in near side's east central Oceanus Procellarum: USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VallisSchr%C3%B6teriLOC.jpg

For further information:

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