Earth and Space News: British astronomer Norman Pogson namesake lunar crater

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Pogson Crater Parents Three Satellites in Mare Australe’s Eastern Edge

Summary: Pogson Crater parents three satellites in Mare Australe’s eastern edge in the lunar far side’s southwestern quadrant.

Pogson Crater parents three satellites in Mare Australe’s eastern edge as a mid-latitude crater system in the lunar far side’s southwestern quadrant.

The system’s parental crater is centered at minus 42.38 degrees south latitude, 111.11 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The primary lunar impact crater registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 41.7 degrees south and minus 43.05 degrees south, respectively. Parental Pogson records easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 112.03 degrees east and 110.2 degrees east, respectively. Pogson Crater’s diameter measures 40.87 kilometers.

Pogson Crater parents three satellites. All three satellites are found to the east of their parent. C claims the closest position, lying to the northeast of its parent. G is located to the southeast of its parent and of C. Sited directly to the east, F logs the most distance from its parent.

Satellite F contrasts with C and G in the intricate swirl of its interior features. Ridgelike formations that extend from the crater’s inner walls distinguish the interior floor’s northwestern, northeastern and southeastern quadrants. Craterlets are strewn rather noticeably across the southwestern quadrant’s somewhat level floor. Craterlets also pock the other quadrants, with the largest conspicuously situated amid the northwestern quadrant’s ridges.

Pogson C is centered at minus 41.62 degrees south latitude, 112.24 degrees east longitude. Satellite C obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 41.35 degrees south and minus 41.9 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 112.62 degrees east and 111.87 degrees east, respectively. The satellite’s diameter of 16.81 kilometers places C as the smallest of the Pogson system’s three satellites.

Pogson F is centered at minus 42.3 degrees south latitude, 115.42 degrees east longitude. Satellite F marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 41.73 degrees south and minus 42.86 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes are found at 116.19 degrees east and 114.66 degrees east, respectively. Satellite F’s diameter of 34.25 kilometers qualifies as Pogson F as the largest of the Pogson system’s three satellites.

Pogson G is centered at minus 42.96 degrees south latitude, 113.42 degrees east longitude. Satellite G’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 42.41 degrees south and minus 43.51 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 114.17 degrees east and 112.67 degrees east, respectively. Satellite G has a diameter of 33.21 kilometers.

The Pogson Crater system occupies the eastern edge of the far side and near side’s shared southeastern basaltic plain, Mare Australe. The Southern Sea overlaps the moon’s eastern limb. The Pogson Crater system and the mid- to far regions of Mare Australe are found on the lunar far side, behind the near side’s southeastern limb.

Mare Australe is centered at minus 47.77 degrees south latitude, 91.99 degrees east longitude. The lunar mare’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 31.84 degrees south and minus 64.2 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes stretch to 113.36 degrees east and 70.43 degrees east, respectively. Mare Australe’s diameter measures 996.84 kilometers.

The takeaways for the lunar far side’s Pogson Crater’s parentage of three satellites in Mare Australe’s eastern edge are that the Pogson system’s three satellites lie to the east of their parent; that the system’s most northerly, southerly and easterly placements are claimed by C, G and F, respectively; that Pogson F is the system’s largest satellite, with a diameter of 34.25 kilometers; that Pogson C is the system’s smallest satellite, with a diameter of 16.81 kilometers; that Pogson F exhibits the system’s most intricately featured interior; that Pogson C claims closest occupancy to its parent; and that Pogson F’s location logs the most distance from parental Pogson.

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 117 shows Pogson Crater system, comprising parental Pogson and trio of satellites Pogson C, Pogson G and Pogson F; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, 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 view of southwestern lunar far side shows Pogson Crater system, comprising parental Pogson Crater and trio of satellites C, F and G; frame M-121 image obtained Feb. 19, 1967, at 19:22 Universal Time, by Lunar Orbiter 3, from a distance of 1,500 kilometers and phase angle 70.19 degrees; blue arrow=Pogson Crater, yellow=Pogson C, green=Pogson F, red=Pogson G: Public Domain, via NASA GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) NSSDC (NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive) Catalog of Spaceborne Imaging @ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/lo3_m121.html

Andersson, Leif E.; and Ewen A. Whitaker. NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA Reference Publication 1097. Washington DC: NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scientific and Technical Information Branch, October 1982.
Available via NASA NTRS (NASA Technical Reports Server) @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19830003761.pdf

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

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Mare Australe.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3665

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Pogson.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4774

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Pogson C.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/12166

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Pogson G.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/12167

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Pogson F.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/12168

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.
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Levy, David H. Skywatching. Revised and updated. San Francisco CA: Fog City Press, 1994.

Marriner, Derdriu. “Pogson Crater Honors British Astronomer Norman Robert Pogson.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 20, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/06/pogson-crater-honors-british-astronomer.html

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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_directions

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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Australe

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

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Shingareva, K. (Kira B.); and G. (George A.) Burba. The Lunar Nomenclature: The Reverse Side of the Moon (1961-1973). NASA Technical Memorandum TM-75035. Translation of Lunnaya Nomenklatura: Obratnaya Storona Luny 1961-1973. Washington DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, August 1977.
Available via NASA NTRS (NASA Technical Reports Server) @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19780004017.pdf

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Available @ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Pogson Crater Honors British Astronomer Norman Robert Pogson

Summary: The lunar far side’s Pogson Crater honors British astronomer Norman Robert Pogson, Madras Observatory director and discoverer of eight asteroids.

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 117 shows Pogson Crater system, to the east of Mare Australe (Southern Sea), in the lunar far side’s southwestern quadrant; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

The lunar far side’s Pogson Crater honors British astronomer Norman Robert Pogson, who directed the British East India Company’s Madras Observatory for three decades and whose astronomical contributions include discovery of eight asteroids and formulation of Pogson’s ratio of stellar magnitude.

Circular Pogson Crater has a worn rim. A small craterlet perches on Pogson’s southern rim. A pair of craterlets occupy Pogson’s northeastern rim.

Pogson Crater is centered at minus 42.38 degrees south latitude, 111.11 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern hemisphere crater records northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 41.7 degrees south and minus 43.05 degrees south, respectively. The eastern hemisphere crater registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 112.03 degrees east and 110.2 degrees east, respectively. Pogson Crater’s diameter spans 40.87 kilometers.

Pogson Crater is classified as a primary crater in the Pogson Crater system. The primary crater parents three satellites.

The three satellites are sited to the east of Pogson Crater. Pogson C’s northeastern position places makes it the closest to its parent. Next closest is southeastern-sited Pogson G. Pogson F, which is the most distant of the system’s satellites, lies directly east of its parent.

The Pogson Crater system lies to the east of Mare Australe (Southern Sea) in the lunar far side’s southwestern quadrant. The unevenly-surfaced, dark, basaltic plain extends over both the near side and the far side of Earth’s moon.

Mare Australe is centered at minus 47.77 degrees south latitude, 91.99 degrees east longitude. The lunar mare’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to minus 31.84 degrees south and minus 64.2 degrees south, respectively. It encounters easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 113.36 degrees east and 70.43 degrees east, respectively. Mare Australe’s length measures 996.84 kilometers.

Pogson Crater received official name approval in 1970 during the International Astronomical Union’s XIVth (14th) General Assembly, held Tuesday, Aug. 18, to Thursday, Aug. 27, in Brighton, United Kingdom. The IAU approved the designations for Pogson Crater system’s three satellites in 2006 during the organization’s XXVIth (26th) General Assembly, held Monday, Aug. 14, to Friday, Aug. 25, in Prague, Czech Republic.

Pogson Crater’s formal name honors Norman Robert Pogson (March 23, 1829-June 23, 1891). The 19th-century British astronomer served as director of the British East India Company’s Madras Observatory for three decades, from 1861 until his death. His accomplishments as an observational astronomy included discovering 13 variable stars and eight asteroids.

Pogson clinched his first asteroid find with his May 23, 1856, discovery of 42 Isis, from the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford, Oxfordshire, South East England. His second and third asteroid discoveries, 43 Ariadne and 46 Hestia, were achieved from the Radcliffe Observatory in 1857, on April 15 and Aug. 16, respectively.

Pogson discovered his fourth asteroid, 67 Asia, on April 17, 1861. The bright asteroid numbered as his first asteroid discovery at southeastern India’s Madras Observatory.

Tamil Nadu state’s Madras Observatory also is credited as the observing site for his fifth through eighth asteroids. He claimed 80 Sappho as his fifth asteroid on May 2, 1864. He espied 87 Sylvia on May 16, 1866. He discovered his seventh asteroid, 107 Camilla, on Nov. 17, 1868, and his eighth, 245 Vera, on Feb. 6, 1885.

Pogson is also credited with formulating a mathematical scale of stellar magnitudes in which the ratio of two successive magnitudes equates to the fifth root of 100 (100^1/5). Each magnitude is defined at 100 times the brightness of its predecessor. Pogson’s formula is known as Pogson’s ratio.

The takeaways for the lunar far side’s Pogson Crater, which honors 19th-century British astronomer Norman Robert Pogson, are that the worn, circular crater parents three satellites in the far side’s southwestern quadrant, to the east of Mare Australe (Southern Sea); that the crater system’s namesake was the Government astronomer of southeastern India’s Madras Observatory; and that Norman Pogson’s astronomical contributions include discovering eight asteroids and 13 variable stars and formulating Pogson’s ratio of stellar magnitude.

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Pogson Crater system in the lunar far side’s southeastern quadrant: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, 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 Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 117 shows Pogson Crater system, to the east of Mare Australe (Southern Sea), in the lunar far side’s southeastern quadrant; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_117_wac.pdf

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Marriner, Derdriu. “Maxwell Crater Honors Scottish Mathematical Physicist James Maxwell.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 6, 2012.
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The Moon Wiki. “IAU Directions.” The Moon.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_directions

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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Australe

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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Pogson

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