Gusev Crater in Southern Mars Honors Russian Astronomer Matvey Gusev

Summary: Gusev Crater, a large impact crater sited in the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle, honors 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Gusev.

Panoramic mosaic of western Martian sky obtained, at approximate distance of 50 miles (80 kilometers), via Panoramic Camera's (Pancam) 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer color filters on rover Spirit's 489th Martian day (sol 489), Thursday, May 19, 2005, around 6:07 p.m., captures sunset at rim of Martian southern hemisphere's Gusev Crater, with rocky outcrop named Jibsheet in foreground: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal

Gusev Crater, which occurs as a large impact crater in the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle, honors 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Gusev.

Gusev Crater occupies the Martian southern hemisphere's Aeolis quadrangle, designated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as MC-23 (Mars Chart 23). The USGS has divided the surface of Mars into 30 cartographic quadrangles. The Mars Global Surveyor's (MGS) Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) produced the precise topographic maps, which comprehensively portray the Martian surface from the south polar ice cap to the north polar ice cap. Gusev Crater is located in the Aeolis quadrangle's southeastern quadrant.

Gusev Crater is centered at minus 14.53 degrees south latitude, 175.52 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The impact crater defines its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 13.20 degrees south and minus 15.86 degrees south, respectively. It demarcates its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 176.91 degrees east and 174.15 degrees east, respectively. Gusev Crater's diameter spans 158.12 kilometers.

Galdakao Crater nudges Gusev Crater's northeastern rim. It is centered at minus 13.34 degrees south, 176.63 degrees east. It arrives at its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 13.06 degrees south and minus 13.62 degrees south, respectively. It parameterizes its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 176.92 degrees east and 176.34 degrees east, respectively. Galdakao Crater's diameter measures 33.44 kilometers.

Apollinaris Mons lies to the north as Gusev Crater's largest, nearest, named, craterous northern neighbor. It occurs as a southern hemisphere "volcanic construct" inhabiting "the transition zone between the northern lowlands and southern highlands" (Figure 1, page 386), as described by Planetary Science Institute (PSI) senior research associate Frank C. Chuang and PSI senior scientists David A. Crown and Daniel C. Berman in "Geology of the northeastern flank of Apollinaris Mons, Mars: Constraints on the erosional history from morphology, topography, and crater populations," published in the Nov. 15, 2019, issue of Icarus.

Apollinaris Mons is centered at minus 9.17 degrees south latitude, 174.79 degrees east longitude. The volcano's northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to minus 6.88 degrees south and minus 11.47 degrees south, respectively. Its easternment and westernmost longitudes stretch from 176.40 degrees east to 172.66 degrees east, respectively. Apollinaris Mons has a diameter of 275.40 kilometers.

Apollinaris Patera designates the caldera that formed with the emptying of the underground magma chamber in Apollinaris Mons. Patera defines as "An irregular crater, or a complex one with scalloped edges," according to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature's list of Descriptor Terms (Feature Types).

Apollinaris Patera is centered at minus 8.57 degrees south, 174.18 degrees east. The caldera finds its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 7.92 degrees south and minus 9.22 degrees south, respectively. It obtains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 174.91 degrees east and 173.43 degrees east, respectively. Apollinaris Pateria's diameter measures 80.60 kilometers.

Gusev Crater, which occurs as a large impact crater in the Martian southern hemisphere, honors 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Gusev, hosts the landing site for Mars robotic rover Spirit and contains the Apollo 1 Hills and the Columbia Hills; Detail from Aeolis, MC-23, shows Gusev Crater with northward-flowing Ma'adim Vallis debouching to Gusev's southern rim; Base image: THEMIS IR Day mosaic by USGS, ASU Margin image: THEMIS IR Global Mosac v11.6, ASU Colorized Topography: MOLA Elevation Model, GSFC Date of Last Nomenclature Update: Nov. 9, 2022: via IAU (International Astronomical Union) and USGS ASC (U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center)

De Vaucouleurs Crater is sited to the west as Gusev Crater's largest, nearest, named, craterous western neighbor. The "huge" crater's "mix of features" includes some "chaotic terrain," as described in NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Photojournal post, "PIA23905: de Vaucouleurs Crater."

De Vaucouleurs Crater is centered at minus 13.31 degrees south, 171.00 degrees east. The huge crater registers its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 10.78 degrees south and minus 15.88 degrees south, respectively. It records its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 173.62 degrees east and 168.38 degrees east, respectively. De Vaucouleurs Crater's diameter spans 302.27 kilometers.

Kayne Crater resides to the west of southwestern Gusev Crater. It is centered at minus 15.50 degrees south, 173.56 degrees east. Kayne Crater expresses its northernmost and southernmost latitudes as minus 15.21 degrees south and minus 15.78 degrees south, respectively. It pinpoints its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 173.86 degrees east and 173.27 degrees east, respectively. Kayne Crater has a diameter of 33.82 kilometers.

The International Astronomical Union formally approved Gusev Crater's name in 1976 during the organization’s XVIth (16th) General Assembly, which was held Tuesday, Aug. 24, to Tuesday, Sept. 21, in Grenoble, France. The crater honors 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Matveyevich Gusev (Russian: Матве́й Матве́евич Гу́сев; Nov. 28 [O.S. Nov. 16], 1826-April 22 [O.S. April 10], 1866). Gusev was associated with Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory (Russian: Пулковская астрономическая обсерватория, Pulkovskaya astronomicheskaya observatoriya), located on Pulkovo Heights (Russian: Пу́лковские высо́ты) south of Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербург), northwestern Russia. He relocated to Vilnius University Astronomical Observatory (Lithuanian: Vilniaus universiteto astronomijos observatorija ) in southeastern Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuva; Russian: Литва, Litva) in 1852.

Gusev served twice as interim director at Vilnius Observavtory. His first interim directorship occurred in 1854, in the transition between Russian astronomer Georg Albert Fuss's (1806--1854) directorship (1847 to 1854) and Russian astronomer Georg Sabler's (April 18, 1810-1865) directorship (1854 to 1865). Gusev's second interim directorship occurred in 1865 to 1866, in the transition to Sabler's successor, Russian astronomer and geodesist Pjotr Smyslow's (1827--1891), directors from 1866 to 1882, according to "Outstanding Astronomical Heritage: Vilnius observatory, Lithuania," posted on UNESCO's Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative's Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy.

Gusev's achievements include founding the first mathematics- and physics-based journal in Russia. He started the Bulletin of Mathematical Sciences (Russian: Вестник математических наук, Vestnik matematicheskikh nauk) in 1860.

Proving the non-sphericity of the lunar orbit around Earth in 1860 in "О состоянии Луны" ("On the State of the Moon") numbers among his astronomical firsts. His photographs of the moon, the sun and sunspots qualify him as a pioneer in the application of photography to astronomy.

undated portrait of 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Gusev, eponym of the Martian southern hemisphere's Gusev Crater: 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:

Panoramic mosaic of western Martian sky obtained, at approximate distance of 50 miles (80 kilometers), via Panoramic Camera's (Pancam) 750-nanometer, 530-nanometer and 430-nanometer color filters on rover Spirit's 489th Martian day (sol 489), Thursday, May 19, 2005, around 6:07 p.m., captures sunset at rim of Martian southern hemisphere's Gusev Crater, with rocky outcrop named Jibsheet in foreground: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia07997

Gusev Crater, which occurs as a large impact crater in the Martian southern hemisphere, honors 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Gusev, hosts the landing site for Mars robotic rover Spirit and contains the Apollo 1 Hills and the Columbia Hills; Detail from Aeolis, MC-23, shows Gusev Crater with northward-flowing Ma'adim Vallis debouching to Gusev's southern rim; Base image: THEMIS IR Day mosaic by USGS, ASU Margin image: THEMIS IR Global Mosac v11.6, ASU Colorized Topography: MOLA Elevation Model, GSFC Date of Last Nomenclature Update: Nov. 9, 2022: via IAU (International Astronomical Union) and USGS ASC (U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center) @ https://asc-planetarynames-data.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mc23_2014.pdf

undated portrait of 19th-century Russian astronomer Matvey Gusev, eponym of the Martian southern hemisphere's Gusev Crater: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaizdas:Matvejus_Gusevas.jpeg

For further information:

Bolles, Dana. "Sunset at Mars’ Gusev Crater (Spirit)." NASA Science > Resource.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia07997
Available via NASA Science @ https://science.nasa.gov/resource/sunset-at-mars-gusev-crater-spirit/

Cabrol, Nathalie A.; Edmond A. Grin; Michael H. Carr; Brad Sutter; Jeffrey M. Moore; Jack D. Farmer; Ronald Greeley; Ruslan O. Kuzmin; David J. DesMarais; Marc G. Kramer; Horton Newsom; Charles Barber; Ivan Thorsos; Kenneth L. Tanaka; Nadine G. Barlow; David A. Fike; Mary L. Urquhart; Brian Grigsby; Frederick D. Grant; and Olivier de Goursac. "Exploring Gusev Crater with Spirit: Review of science objectives and testable hypotheses." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets JGR Planets, vol. 108, issue E12 (December 2003): 17-1 to 17-21.
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2002JE002026

Chuang, Frank C.; David A. Crown; and Daniel C. Berman. "Geology of the northeastern flank of Apollinaris Mons, Mars: Constraints on the erosional history from morphology, topography, and crater populations." Icarus, vol. 333 (Nov. 15, 2019: 385-403).
Available via ScienceDirect @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103518306869

The European Space Agency. "Ancient caldera in Apollinaris Patera." ESA The European Space Agency > Science & Exploration. 09/06/2006.
Available via ESA @ https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Ancient_caldera_in_Apollinaris_Patera

Golombek, M. P.; L. S. Crumpler; J. A. Grant; R. Greeley; N. A. Cabrol; T. J. Parker; J. W. Rice Jr.; J. G. Ward; R. E. Arvidson; J. E. Moersch; R. L. Fergason; P. R. Christensen; A. Castaño; R. Castaño; A. F. C. Haldemann; R. Li; J. F. Bell III; and S. W. Squyres. "Geology of the Gusev cratered plains from the Spirit rover transverse." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets JGR Planets, vol. 111, issue E2 (February 2006): E02S07.
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2005JE002503
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2005JE002503

Greeley, Ronald, Ruslan O. Kuzmin; Scot C. R. Rafkin; Timothy I. Michaels; and Robert Haberle. "Wind-related features in Gusev crater, Mars." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets JGR Planets, vol. 108, issue E12 (December 2003): 8077 [ROV 18-1 to 18-12].
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2002JE002006
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2002JE002006

Greicius, Tony; and Naomi Hartono. "Gusev Crater." NASA JPL > Images. Jan. 2, 2004.
Available via NASA JPL @ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia05119-gusev-crater
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05119

Gussew. "Über die Gestalt des Mondes von H. Gussew. (Lu le 14 octobre 1859)." Pages 276-300. Bulletin de l'Académie impériale des sciences de St.-Pétersbourg. Tome premier. St.-Pétersbourg: Imprimerie de l`Académie Impériale des Sciences, 1860.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33521849

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Apollinaris Mons.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Sep. 19, 2007 11:45 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14307

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Apollinaris Patera.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Jun 27, 2008 1:07 p.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/323

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Columbia Vallis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Oct. 30, 2008 9:57 p.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14151

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “de Vaucouleurs.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1447

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Galdakao.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2070

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Gusev.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/Gusev

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Kayne.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mars > Mars. Last updated Nov. 17, 2010 9:58 a.m.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2972

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Patera, paterae PE An irregular crater, or a complex one with scalloped edges.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Descriptor Terms (Feature Types).
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA00183: MC-23 Aeolis Region." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS. Image Addition Date: 1998-06-05.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00183

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA05119: Gusev Crater." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems. Image Addition Date: 2004-01-02.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05119

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA07997: A Moment Frozen in Time." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell. Image Addition Date: 2005-06-10.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00183

Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA23905: de Vaucouleurs Crater." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU. Image Addition Date: 2020-05-08.
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23905

Kuzmin, R.O.; R. Greeley; R. Landhelm; and N. Cabrol. "Geologic mapping of Gusev Crater-Ma'adim Vallis Region, Mars." Page 779. Abstract 1318. Lunar and Planetary Science XXVIII: Abstracts of Papers Submitted to the Twenty-eighth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March 17-21, 1997. Houston TX: Lunar and Planetary Institute, 1997.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1997LPI....28..779K
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1997LPI....28..779K

Müller, E. (Edith); and A. (Arnost) Jappel, eds. XVIth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. XVI B Proceedings of the 16th General Assembly Grenoble, France, August 24-September 21, 1976. Cambridge UK: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Jan. 1, 1977.
Available via IAU @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/

NASA Science Mars Exploration. "de Vaucouleurs Crater." NASA Science Mars Exploration > Multimedia > Images.
Available via NASA Science Mars Exploration @ https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/24981/de-vaucouleurs-crater/
Available via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23905

Orosei, Roberto Orosei; Angelo Pio Rossi; Federico Cantini; Graziella Caprarelli; Lynn M. Carter; Irene Papiano; Marco Cartacci; Andrea Cicchetti; and Raffaella Noschese. "Radar sounding of Lucus Planum, Mars, by MARSIS." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets JGR Planets, vol. 122, issue 7 (July 2017): 1405-1418.
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016JE005232
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/2016JE005232

Rafkin, Scot C. R.; and T. I. Michaels. "Meteorological predictions for 2003 Mars Exploration Rover high-priority landing sites." Journal of Geophysical Research Planets JGR Planets, vol. 108, issue E12 (December 2003): 8091 (ROV 32-1 to 32-23).
Available via AGU Pubs @ https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2002JE002027

Scott, David H.; Elliot C. Morris; and Mareta N. West. "Geologic Map of the Aeolis Quadrangle of Mars." USGS ASC (U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey. Prepared for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Atlas of Mars 1:5,000,000 Geologic Series, Aeolis Quadrangle M 5M 15:202 G. 1978 I:1111 (MC-23). Flagstaff AZ: USGS Astrogeology Science Center, Oct. 17, 2019. Modified Dec. 6, 2017.
Available via USGS ASC Astropedia Web Portal @ https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Mars/Geology/year-1970/Mars-Geologic-Map-of-the-Aeolis-Quadrangle

UNESCO's Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative. "Outstanding Astronomical Heritage: Vilnius observatory, Lithuania." Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy > The Heritage > Astronomical Heritage Finder > List > Category of Astronomical Heritage: tangible immovable Vilnius observatory, Lithuania -- IAU -- Outstanding Astronomical Heritage Case study ID: 108, serial ID: 1.
Available @ https://www3.astronomicalheritage.net/index.php/show-entity?identity=108&idsubentity=1