Venusian Crater Corpman Honors Astronomer Elisabeth Koopman Hevelius

Summary: Venusian crater Corpman honors astronomer Elisabeth Koopman Hevelius, wife of 17th-century Polish astronomer and selenographer Johannes Hevelius.

Impact crater Corpman appears in the southwest corner (lower left) of the 25th of 62 quadrangles in the U.S. Geological Survey's Atlas of Venus; Young and Hansen, "Geologic Map of the Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25), Venus" (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003): via USGS Publications Warehouse

Venusian crater Corpman honors astronomer Elisabeth Koopman Hevelius, wife and astronomy partner of 17th-century astronomer and selenographer Johannes Hevelius.

Corpman lies in the northern and eastern hemispheres of the solar system's brightest planet. The crater's location less than one-third of a minute north of the equator places it in the Venusian northern hemisphere.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has assigned a planetocentric coordinate system to Venus, according to the IAU's online Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Positive eastward measurement of longitude characterizes a planetocentric coordinate system, according to American mathematician and planetary explorer and mapper Merton Edward Davies (Sep. 13, 1917-April 17, 2001) and 10 co-authors in "Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements of the Planets and Satellites," published in the October 1980 issue of Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (page 213).

Corpman is centered at 0.3 decimal degrees north latitude, 151.80 decimal degrees east longitude, according to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The northern hemisphere crater has a diameter of 46 kilometers.

Corpman is sited in the Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25). The quadrangle numbers among 62 quadrangles that localize the Venusian surface for geological mapping, according to the photomosaic of quadrangle locations in New Zealand-born polar and planetary geophysicist Duncan A. Young and American planetary geologist Vicki L. Hansen's "Geologic Map of the Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25), Venus," published in 2003 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle and its northern neighbor, the mid-latitudinal Nemesis Tesserae Quadrangle (V-13) occur in the lowland vastness that encompasses four-fifths of the Venusian surface.

The southern hemisphere's Diana Chasma Quadrangle (V-37) is positioned as Rusalka Quadrangle's southern equatorial neighbor. Diana Chasma's geology abounds with oval-shaped features termed coronae (Latin corōna, “crown; wreath”; from Ancient Greek κορώνη, korṓnē, “crown; curved object"; plural: coronae).

Greenaway (V-24) and Atla Regio (V-26) quadrangles define, respectively, Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle's western and eastern borders. Rusalka Quadrangle thusly nestles between Greenaway Quadrangle's mix of lowlands and highlands and Atla Regio's broad volcanic rise uplands.

The Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle features two broad basins that contain coronae, associated coronal lava flows and shield fields, i.e., clusters of small shield volcanoes. Rusalka Planitia occurs as a low plain (Latin: planitia, "plain") in the quadrangle's southern half. Rusalka Planitia extends southward into the northern half of the Diana Chasma Quadrangle and eastward into southwestern Atla Regio Quadrangle. Llorona Planitia extensively occupies the Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle's northwestern corner and stretches westward into northeastern Greenaway Quadrangle, northward into southwestern Nemesis Tesserae Quadrangle and thence into the southeastern corner of Vellamo Planitia Quadrangle, Nemesis Tesserae Quadrangle's western neighbor.

The quadrangle's marginal plains region rolls between the two planitiae. The marginal plains arch from the quadrangle's southwestern corner diagonally to its northeastern corner. Corpman Crater nestles in the southwestern corner while the Romanskaya Crater area anchors the northeastern corner.

Romanskaya Crater is centered at 23.20 decimal degrees north latitude, 178.40 decmal degrees east longitude. The darkened, flat-floored, circular crater's diameter measures 30.40 kilometers.

Corpman numbers among the 19 impact craters that dot Rusalka Quadrangle. Yolanda and Ortensia lie to the north and northeast, respectively, as Corpman's nearest impact crater neighbors. Corpman and Yolanda exhibit circular planforms while Ortensia traces an irregular outline. Corpman shows deformational cutting of ejecta, rim or outflows by subsequent tectonic structures, whereas Ortensia and Yolanda evince no deformations. Indicative of radar-dark fill, Corpman and Yolanda reveal "dark, flat" floors, according to the quadrangle's U.S. Geological Survey map. Contrastingly, Ortensia registers as "empty."

Ortensia is centered at 7.60 decimal degrees north latitude, 155.70 decimal degrees east longitude. Ortensia's diameter measures 7.00 kilometers.

Yolanda is centered at 7.80 decimal degrees north latitude, 152.70 decimal degrees east longitude. Yolanda has a diameter of 11.40 kilometers.

Venusian craters Corpman (bottom left corner) and Romanskaya (upper right corner) mark, respectively, the southwestern and northeastern corners of equatorial to northern mid-latitude Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle; Mercator projection of Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25): via IAU-USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Venusian impact crater Corpman honors Polish astronomer Elisabeth Catherina Koopmann Hevelius (Polish: Elżbieta Koopman Heweliusz; Jan. 17, 1647–Dec. 22, 1693). The International Astronomical Union approved the crater's name in 1994, during the organization's XXIInd (22nd) General Assembly, held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from Monday, Aug. 15, to Saturday, Aug. 27.

Elisabeth was born in Gdańsk, Poland, as the seventh of eight children to prosperous Lutheran merchant Nicolas Koopmann (1601-1672) and his wife, Johanna Mennings (1602-1679), according to Elisabeth's online biography via Kulturstiftung der deutschen Vertriebenen ("Cultural Foundation of German Expellees"). Elisabeth's family had relocated from Amsterdam, northwestern Netherlands, to Gdansk by way of Hamburg, northern Germany.

Elisabeth's interest in astronomy led to meet prominent astronomer and lunar topographer Johannes Hevelius (Jan. 28, 1611-Jan. 28, 1687). The prescient 16-year-old married her recently widowed (1662) mentor Feb. 3, 1663, in Gdańsk's St. Catherine's Church (Polish: kościele św. Katarzyny), according to Italian science journalist and writer Gabriella Bernardi in The Unforgotten Sisters, published in 2016 (page 73).

The husband-and-wife team's astronomical dedication included making astronomical observations and calculations in their private observatory. Johannes Hevelius had built the observatory in 1641 on the roofs of three connected houses that he owned on ulica Korzenna (Korzenna Street) in Gdańsk.

After her husband's death on his birthday in 1687, Elisabeth devoted three years to the completion of their jointly compiled catalogue of 1,546 stars and their positions. In 1690, she published the catalogue in a three-part work, Prodromus Astronomiae, with only her husband as author.

Husband-and-wife astronomy team Johannes Hevelius and Elisabeth Koopman Hevelius make astronomical observations via their brass sextant; drawn by A. Stech (Polish: Andreas Stech; Sep. 9, 1635-Jan. 12, 1697); engraved by I. Saal; J. Hevelii, Machinae Coelestis, pars prior (1673), Figure O, opposite page 254: Public Domain, via Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Impact crater Corpman appears in the southwest corner (lower left) of the 25th of 62 quadrangles in the U.S. Geological Survey's Atlas of Venus; Young and Hansen, "Geologic Map of the Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25), Venus" (U.S. Geological Survey, 2003): via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2783/i2783.pdf

Venusian craters Corpman (bottom left corner) and Romanskaya (upper right corner) mark, respectively, the southwestern and northeastern corners of equatorial to northern mid-latitude Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle; Mercator projection of Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25): via IAU-USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://asc-planetarynames-data.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/v25_comp.pdf

Husband-and-wife astronomy team Johannes Hevelius and Elisabeth Koopman Hevelius make astronomical observations via their brass sextant; drawn by A. Stech (Polish: Andreas Stech; Sep. 9, 1635-Jan. 12, 1697); engraved by I. Saal; J. Hevelii, Machinae Coelestis, pars prior (1673), Figure O, opposite page 254: Public Domain, via Smithsonian Libraries and Archives @ https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/machinacoelesti1heve

For further information:

Appenzeller, I (Immo), ed. XXIInd General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. XXII B Proceedings of the 22nd General Assembly, The Hague, The Netherlands, August 15-27, 1994. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Jan. 1, 1996.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/

Ashworth, William B., Jr. "Elisabeth Hevelius." Linda Hall Library > News > Scientist of the Day. Dec. 22, 2017.
Available @ https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/elisabeth-hevelius

Bernardi, Gabriella. "Chapter 11 Elisabetha Catharina Koopman Hevelius (1647-1693)." Pages 67-74. The Unforgotten Sisters: Female Astronomers and Scientists Before Caroline Herschel. Springer Praxis Books in Popular Astronomy. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing; Chichester UK: Praxis Publishing, March 14, 2016.

Bondarenko, N.V.; and J.W. Head. "Crater-associated dark diffuse features on Venus: Properties of surficial deposits and their evolution." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, vol. 114, issue E3 (March 2009): E03004.
Available via Wiley Online Library @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2008JE003163

Davies, M. E.; V.K. Abalakin; C.A. Cross; R.L. Duncombe; H. Masursky; B. Morando; T.C. Owen; P.K. Seidelmann; A.T. Sinclair; G.A. Wilkins; Y.S. Tjuflin. "Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements of the Planets and Satellites." Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, vol. 22, issue 3 (October 1980): 205-230.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1980CeMec..22..205D
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1980CeMec..22..205D

Davies, M. E.; V.K. Abalakin; M. Bursa; J.H. Lieske; B. Morando; D. Morrison; P.K. Seidelmann; A.T. Sinclair; B. Yallop; Y.S. Tjuflin. "Report of the IAU/IAG/COSPAR Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements of the Planets and Satellites: 1994." Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, vol. 63, issue 2 (January 1996): 127-148.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1996CeMDA..63..127D
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1996CeMDA..63..127D

Davies, M. E.; T. R. Colvin; P. G. Rogers; P. G. Chodas; W. L. Sjogren; W. L. Akim; E. L. Stepanyantz; Z. P. Vlasova; and A. I. Zakharov, "The Rotation Period, Direction of the North Pole, and Geodetic Control Network of Venus." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, vol. 97, issue E8 A (Aug. 25, 1992): 13141-13151.
Available via Wiley Online Library @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/92JE01166

GeoHack. "Corpman." Wikipedia List of Craters on Venus > Corpman > GeoHack.
Available @ https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=List_of_craters_on_Venus¶ms=0.3_N_151.8_E_globe:venus_type:landmark&title=Corpman

Hamilton, Calvin J. "Venusian Volcanic Features." Views of the Solar System > Venus.
Available @ https://solarviews.com/eng/venvolc.htm

Hansen, Vicki L.; and Heather R. DeShon. "Geologic Map of the Diana Chasma Quadrangle (V–37), Venus." U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I–2752. Reston VA: U.S. Geological Survey, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2752/

Hevelii, Johannis. Machinae Coelestis. Pars prior. Gedani [Gdansk]: Simon Reininger, M DC LXXIII [].
Available via Library of Congress @ https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbctos.2018rosen93624v1/?sp=497
Available via Smithsonian Libraries and Archives @ https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/machinacoelesti1heve

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Corpman.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Venus. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1317

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ortensia.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Venus. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4500

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Romanskaya.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Venus. Last updated Dec. 30, 2008.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5174

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Yolanda.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Venus. Last updated Oct. 1, 2006.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6665

López, Iván; and Vicki L. Hansen. "Geologic Map of the Niobe Planitia Region (I-2467), Venus." Earth and Space Science, vol. 7, issue 9 (September 2020): e2020EA001171.
Available via Wiley Online Library @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2020EA001171

Marriner, Derdriu. "Rare Five Planet Visible Dawn Parade Jan. 20 Through Feb. 20." Earth and Space News. Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/02/rare-five-planet-visible-dawn-parade.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Rare Simultaneous Mercury and Venus Transits Will Occur July 26, 69163." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/07/rare-simultaneous-mercury-and-venus.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Venus: Luminous Duet of Conjunction With Waxing Crescent Moon." Earth and Space News. Thursday, April 23, 2015
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/04/venus-luminous-duet-of-conjunction-with.html

Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy. "Hevelius Observatory, Gdansk, Poland." Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy > The Heritage > IAU -- Outstanding Astronomical Heritage.
Available @ https://www3.astronomicalheritage.net/index.php/show-entity?identity=101&idsubentity=1

Sulewska, Renata. "Charles de La Haye." Muzeum Pałacu Króla Jana III w Wilanowie ("Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów") > Silva Rerum.
Available @ https://www.wilanow-palac.pl/charles_de_la_haye_1.html

Young, Carolynn, ed. The Magellan Venus Explorer's Guide. JPL Publication 90-24. Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Pasadena CA: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, August 1990.
Available via NASA JPL @ https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/guide.html

Young, Duncan. "Duncan Young." Southern Methodist University Geophysics Research Archives > SMU Tectonics Laboratory.
Available @ http://www.geology.smu.edu/~tectonics/young/young.html

Young, Duncan A.; and Vicki L. Hansen. "Geologic Map of the Rusalka Planitia Quadrangle (V-25), Venus." U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I-2783. Reston VA: U.S. Geological Survey, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2783/