Magelhaens Crater Parents One Satellite on Southwest Mare Fecunditatis

Summary: Magelhaens Crater parents one satellite on southwest Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity), an equator-straddling lava plain on the moon’s near side.

Detail shows row of Magelhaens, Magelhaens A and Gutenberg D in grouping with Goclenius (above) and Colombo A (below); D.P. Elston’s Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse

Magelhaens Crater parents one satellite on southwest Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity), a dark, equator-straddling lava plain occupying the lunar near side’s eastern hemisphere.

Magelhaens Crater’s eroded rim forms a rough circle around the interior floor. British Victorian selenographer Thomas Gwyn Elger (Oct. 27, 1836-Jan. 9, 1897) described the southern hemisphere crater as presenting “. . . a bright and somewhat irregular though continuous border” (page 130) in his book of lunar observations, The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features, published in 1895. A small central mountain rises from the dark, flat floor. The interior’s lava-flooded darkness matches the dark coloration of the nearby lunar mare’s (Latin: “sea”) dark, basaltic plains.

Primary crater Magelhaens is centred at minus 11.98 degrees south latitude, 44.07 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes spread from minus 11.36 degrees south to minus 12.59 degrees south, respectively. The lunar impact crater’s easternmost and westernmost longitudes stretch from 44.7 degrees east to 43.45 degrees east, respectively. Magelhaens has a diameter of 37.2 kilometers.

Magelhaens closely parents its solitary satellite. Magelhaens A is attached to its parent’s southeastern rim.

Elger noted A’s possession of a central hill on its floor. A’s light floor contrasts with its parent’s darkened floor. A craterlet rests on Magelhaens A’s northeastern rim.

The observational team of German banker and amateur astronomer Wilhelm Wolff Beer (Jan. 4, 1797-March 27, 1850) and German astronomer and selenographer Johann Heinrich von Mädler (May 29, 1794-March 14, 1874) likened Magelhaens A to Vendelinus D, “die beide gegen das Mare Foecunditatis abstürzen” (“both of which crash against Mare Foecunditatis”), in their detailed lunar geography, Der Mond (1837, page 370 §411). Lying southeast of Magelhaens A, Vendelinus D edges the southeastern Mare Fecunditatis. D numbers among 15 Vendelinus secondary craters that received official Vendelinus satellite designations in 2006.

Magelhaens A is center at minus 12.73 degrees south latitude, 44.99 degrees east longitude. The satellite’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to minus 12.25 degrees and minus 13.22 degrees south, respectively. A obtains easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 45.49 degrees east and 44.5 degrees east, respectively. With a diameter of 29.35 kilometers, satellite A approximates 80 percent of its parent’s size.

The lunar Magelhaens Crater system honors Portuguese explorer Fernão de Magalhães (Ferdinand Magellan; ca. 1480-Apil 27, 1521). Wilhelm Beer and Johann von Mädler are credited with the first cartographic designation of Magelhaens and Magelhaens A. Mädler and his patron identified the lunar southern hemisphere’s crater-conjoined satellite system as Magelhaens on quadrant IV of Mappa Selenographica, their complete map of the lunar near side, published in 1834.

Magelhaens and Magelhaens A form a northwest-to-southeast aligned row with the parent’s northwestern neighbor, Gutenberg D, along Mare Fecunditatis. The trio forms a distinctive grouping with Goclenius Crater and Colombo A. Located in Mare Fecunditatis, Goclenius lies to the northeast of the trio. An intruder into its parent’s northwestern rim, Colombo A hunkers near Magelhaens A, to the north-northwest.

NASA astronaut (born Oct. 17, 1933) William Alison Anders captured the grouping in memorable photographs taken as Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) for the Apollo 8 mission. Apollo 8 launched Saturday, Dec. 21, 1968, as the first human lunar-orbiting mission. Commander Frank Frederick Borman II (born March 14, 1928), Command Module Pilot (CMP) James Arthur Lovell Jr. (born March 25, 1928) and LMP Anders made 10 lunar orbits before their end-of-mission splashdown Friday, Dec. 27, in the North Pacific Ocean.

The takeaways for Magelhaens Crater’s parentage of one satellite on the southwestern Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity) are that Magelhaens A is attached to its parent’s southeastern rim and that, at 29.35 kilometers, the satellite’s diameter equates to almost 80 percent of its parent’s 37.2-kilometer diameter.

Detail of Wilhelm Beer and Johann von Mädler’s lunar map (1834), quadrant IV, shows (lower-center right) row formed by Magelhaens, Magelhaens A and Gutenberg D in grouping with Goclenius (below) and Colombo A (above): Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital SLUB (Saxon State and University Library) Dresden

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Detail shows row of Magelhaens, Magelhaens A and Gutenberg D in grouping with Goclenius (above) and Colombo A (below); D.P. Elston’s Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i714

Detail of Wilhelm Beer and Johann von Mädler’s lunar map (1834), quadrant IV, shows (lower-center right) row formed by Magelhaens, Magelhaens A and Gutenberg D in grouping with Goclenius (below) and Colombo A (above): Public Domain Mark 1.0, via Digital SLUB (Saxon State and University Library) Dresden @ https://digital.slub-dresden.de/werkansicht/?id=5363&tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=57760&tx_dlf%5Bpage%5D=9

For further information:

Beer, Guilelmo; et Joanne Henrico Mädler. “IV.” Mappa Selenographica: totam Lunae hemisphaeram visibilem complectens Observationibus propriis secundum projectionem orthographicam. Quatuor Sectionibus constructa et delineata. Berolini [Berlin, Germany]: Apud Simon Schropp & Soc., MDCCCXXXIV (1834).
Available via Digital SLUB (Saxon State and University Library) Dresden @ https://digital.slub-dresden.de/werkansicht/?id=5363&tx_dlf%5Bid%5D=57760&tx_dlf%5Bpage%5D=9

Beer, Wilhelm; and Joh. (Johannes) Heinrich Mädler. “Rinnebirgsgruppe des Colombo, Cook under Magelhaens. §.410. §.411.” Der Mond nach seinen kosmischen und individuellen Verhältnissen; oder, Allgemeine vergleichende Selenographie: 370. Mit besondrer Bezichung auf die von den Verfassern berausgegebens Mappa Selenographica. Berlin, Germany: Simon Schropp & Comp., 1837.
Available via ETH-Bibliothek e-rara.ch @ https://www.e-rara.ch/zut/wihibe/content/pageview/7346707
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/dermondallegein00midlgoog/page/n394
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_hO_mAAAAMAAJ/page/n395

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

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Magelhaens.” The Moon, A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 130. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/130

Elston, Donald P. “Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-714 (LAC-79). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1972.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i714

Godwin, Robert, comp. and ed. Apollo 8: The NASA Mission Reports. Second edition. Burlington, Canada: Apogee Books, 1971.

Hodges, Carroll Ann. “Geologic Map of the Langrenus Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-739 (LAC-80). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1973.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i739

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg D.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9616

International Astronomical Union. “Magelhaens.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3578

International Astronomical Union. “Magelhaens A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/11040

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Fecunditatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673

International Astronomical Union. “Vendelinus.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6346

Kluger, Jeffrey. Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon. New York NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2017.

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

Marriner, Derdriu. “Colombo Crater Parents 10 Satellites in Southeastern Lunar Near Side.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/11/colombo-crater-parents-10-satellites-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Goclenius Crater Parents Two Satellites in Southwest Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/12/goclenius-crater-parents-two-satellites.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Gutenberg Crater Parents Nine Satellites on Southwest Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/11/gutenberg-crater-parents-nine.html

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.

Orloff, Richard W. “Apollo 8 The Second Mission: Testing the CSM in Lunar Orbit.” Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference: 31-50. NASA History Series. NASA SP 4029. Washington DC: NASA Headquarters Office of Policy and Plans, 2000.
Available via NASA History @ https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029.pdf

Stuart-Alexander, Desiree E.; and Rowland W. Tabor. “Geologic Map of the Fracastorius Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-720 (LAC-97). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1972.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i720

U.S. Geological Survey. Color-Coded Topography and Shaded Relief Map of the Lunar Near Side and Far Side Hemispheres. U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I-2769. Page last modified Nov. 30, 2016. Flagstaff AZ: U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2769/

Gutenberg Crater Parents Nine Satellites on Southwest Mare Fecunditatis

Summary: Gutenberg Crater parents nine satellites on southwest Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity), an equator-straddling lava plain on the moon’s near side.

Detail shows part of Gutenberg Crater system (center left) along southwestern Mare Fecunditatis; Gutenberg (40-42 degrees S, 8-10 degrees E), Gutenberg A (40 S, 9 E), Gutenberg South (41 S, 10 E), Gutenberg E (42-43 S, 8 E), Gutenberg D (43 S, 11 E), Gutenberg G (40 S, 6.5 W), Gutenberg H (39 S, 7 E), Gutenberg K (41 S, 7 E); D.P. Elston’s Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse

Gutenberg Crater parents nine satellites on southwest Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity), a dark, equator-straddling lava plain occupying the lunar near side’s eastern hemisphere.

Primary crater Gutenberg is centered at minus 8.61 degrees south latitude, 41.25 east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern hemisphere crater marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 7.45 degrees south and minus 9.78 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 42.43 degrees east and 40.07 degrees east, respectively. Gutenberg’s diameter spans 70.65 kilometers.

Three satellites nestle on their parent’s rim. Gutenberg A, C and E make western, southern and eastern intrusions, respectively.

A is centered at minus 9.03 degrees south latitude, 39.91 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 8.78 degrees south and minus 9.27 degrees south, respectively. A registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 40.16 degrees east and 39.66 degrees east, respectively. A has a diameter of 14.8 kilometers.

C, also known as Gutenberg South, is centered at minus 10.04 degrees south latitude, 41.13 degrees east longitude. C obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 9.29 degrees south and minus 10.78 degrees south, respectively. C marks easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 41.89 degrees east and 40.37 degrees east, respectively. C’s diameter measures 45.21 kilometers.

E is centered at minus 8.22 degrees south latitude, 42.42 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 7.75 degrees south and minus 8.68 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 42.89 degrees east and 41.95 degrees east, respectively. E’s diameter measures 28.19 kilometers.

As the Gutenberg Crater system’s only western outlier, B resides to the west of Gutenberg rim satellite A. B is centered at minus 9.12 degrees south latitude, 38.32 degrees east longitude. B marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 8.89 degrees south and minus 9.35 degrees south, respectively. B registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 38.56 degrees east and 38.08 degrees east, respectively. The satellite has a diameter of 14.19 kilometers.

Three Gutenberg satellites lie north of their parent. K occupies the near north. Outliers G and H reside to the north-northwest and northwest, respectively.

K is centered at minus 7.3 degrees south latitude, 40.82 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes thin to minus 7.2 degrees south and minus 7.39 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes narrow to 40.91 degrees east and 40.72 degrees east, respectively. K has a diameter of 5.64 kilometers.

G is centered at minus 6.05 degrees south latitude, 40.04 degrees east longitude. G obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 5.54 degrees south and minus 6.55 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 40.55 degrees east and 39.53 degrees east, respectively. G’s diameter measures 30.64 kilometers.

H is centered at minus 6.75 degrees south latitude, 39.06 degrees east longitude. H trims northernmost and southernmost latitudes to minus 6.67 degrees south and minus 6.83 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes narrow to 39.14 degrees east and 38.98 degrees east, respectively. H has a diameter of 4.77 kilometers.

Two Gutenberg satellites lie south-southeast of their parent. Satellite F hunkers to the north of larger neighbor D.

F is centered at minus 10.23 degrees south latitude, 42.61 degrees east longitude. The satellite trims its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to minus 10.11 degrees south and minus 10.35 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes narrow to 42.73 degrees east and 42.49 degrees east, respectively. F has a diameter of 7.17 kilometers.

D is centered at minus 10.99 degrees south latitude, 42.84 degrees east longitude. D obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 10.66 degrees south and minus 11.32 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 43.17 degrees east and 42.5 degrees east, respectively. D’s diameter measures 20.07 kilometers.

The Gutenberg Crater system honors German inventor Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (ca. 1390/1400-Feb. 3, 1468). The IAU approved the parent crater’s name in 1935 and satellite designations in 2006.

The takeaways for Gutenberg Crater’s parentage of nine satellites on the southwestern Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity) are that three satellites cling to their parent’s rim, that smallest satellite H’s diameter measures only 4.77 kilometers and that, at 45.21 kilometers, largest satellite C’s diameter equates to almost two-thirds of its parent’s 70.65-kilometer diameter.

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 79 shows Gutenberg Crater with nine satellites; scale 1:1,000,000; Mercator Projection: United States Air Force (USAF) Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) via USGS/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 shows part of Gutenberg Crater system (center left) along southwestern Mare Fecunditatis; Gutenberg (40-42 degrees S, 8-10 degrees E), Gutenberg A (40 S, 9 E), Gutenberg South (41 S, 10 E), Gutenberg E (42-43 S, 8 E), Gutenberg D (43 S, 11 E), Gutenberg G (40 S, 6.5 W), Gutenberg H (39 S, 7 E), Gutenberg K (41 S, 7 E); D.P. Elston’s Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i714

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 79 shows Gutenberg Crater with nine satellites; scale 1:1,000,000; Mercator Projection: United States Air Force (USAF) Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) via USGS/Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_79_wac.pdf

For further information:

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

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Gutenberg.” The Moon, A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 128-129. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/128

Elston, Donald P. “Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-714 (LAC-79). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1972.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i714

Hodges, Carroll Ann. “Geologic Map of the Langrenus Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-739 (LAC-80). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1973.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i739

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2290

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9613

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg B.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9614

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg C.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9615

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg D.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9616

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg E.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9617

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg F.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9618

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg G.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9619

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg H.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9620

International Astronomical Union. “Gutenberg K.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/9621

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Fecunditatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673

International Astronomical Union. “Montes Pyrenaeus.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4012

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

Marriner, Derdriu. “Colombo Crater Parents 10 Satellites in Southeastern Lunar Near Side.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/11/colombo-crater-parents-10-satellites-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Goclenius Crater Parents Two Satellites in Southwest Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/12/goclenius-crater-parents-two-satellites.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Taruntius Crater Parents 15 Satellites on Northwest Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 4, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/05/taruntius-crater-parents-15-satellites.html

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.

Stuart-Alexander, Desiree E.; and Rowland W. Tabor. “Geologic Map of the Fracastorius Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-720 (LAC-97). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1972.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i720

U.S. Geological Survey. Color-Coded Topography and Shaded Relief Map of the Lunar Near Side and Far Side Hemispheres. U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I-2769. Page last modified Nov. 30, 2016. Flagstaff AZ: U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2769/

Colombo Crater Parents 10 Satellites in Southeastern Lunar Near Side

Summary: Colombo Crater parents 10 satellites in the southeastern lunar near side, between southwestern Mare Fecunditatis and eastern Mare Nectaris.

Detail shows part of Colombo Crater system (center bottom) along southwestern Mare Fecunditatis; Colombo (45 degrees south, 14-16 degrees east), Colombo A (44 S, 14 E), Colombo E (42.5 S, 15.5 E), Colombo G (43 S, 14 E); Colombo H (43.5 S, 14.5 E), Colombo K (46.5 S, 16 E), Colombo M (48 S, 14.5 E), Colombo P (48 S, 15 E); D.P. Elston’s Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse

Colombo Crater parents 10 satellites in the southeastern lunar near side, with the system occupying the rough terrain between southwestern Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity) and eastern Mare Nectaris (Sea of Nectar).

Occupancy of Colombo’s rim by two satellites disturbs the parent crater’s circularity. Tiny craterlets swarm across Colombo’s pockmarked floor.

Primary crater Colombo edges Mare Fecunditatis. The lunar impact crater is centered at minus 15.26 degrees south latitude, 46.02 degrees east longitude. The southern hemisphere crater registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 13.95 degrees south and minus 16.56 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 47.37 degrees east and 44.67 degrees east, respectively. Colombo’s diameter spans 79.02 kilometers.

Satellite A indents its parent’s northwestern rim. A is centered at minus 14.18 degrees south latitude, 44.46 degrees east longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes reach minus 13.5 degrees south and minus 14.85 degrees south, respectively. A’s diameter measures 40.78 kilometers.

Satellite B perches along its parent’s south-southwestern rim. B is centered at minus 16.41 degrees south latitude, 45.16 degrees east longitude, respectively. It obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 16.19 degrees south and minus 16.63 degrees south, respectively. B marks easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 45.4 degrees east and 44.93 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 13.48 kilometers.

Satellite K gouges its parent’s southern wall. K is centered at minus 15.83 degrees east latitude, 46.44 degrees east longitude. It claims northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 15.75 degrees south and minus 15.91 degrees south, respectively. K registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 46.52 degrees east and 46.35 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 5 kilometers.

Mare Fecunditatis claims two additional satellites. M and P lie to their parent’s east.

M is centered at minus 14.64 degrees south latitude, 47.8 degrees east longitude. M marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 14.38 degrees south and minus 14.89 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes extend to 48.06 degrees east and 47.53 degrees east, respectively. K has a diameter of 15.65 kilometers.

P, M’s smaller, southern neighbor, is centered at minus 15.11 degrees south latitude, 47.9 degrees east longitude. M trims its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to minus 15.02 degrees south and minus 15.21 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes narrow to 48 degrees east and 47.8 degrees east, respectively. M’s diameter measures 5.9 kilometers.

Montes Pyrenaeus (Pyrenees Mountains) hugs the eastern arc of circular Mare Nectaris. Five Colombo satellites (E, G, H, J, T) shelter to the east of the lunar mountain range.

Satellites G and J neighbor west of Colombo A. Larger G lies north-northwest of J.

G is centered at minus 14.01 degrees south latitude, 43.44 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at minus 13.87 degrees south and minus 14.16 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes thin to 43.6 degrees east and 43.29 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 8.95 kilometers.

J is centered at minus 14.3 degrees south latitude, 43.62 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitudes narrow to minus 14.2 degrees south and minus 14.4 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes thin to 43.72 degrees east and 43.52 degrees east, respectively. J’s diameter measures 5.96 kilometers.

Colombo E lies to its parent’s west. The satellite is centered at minus 15.82 degrees south latitude, 42.38 degrees east longitude. E obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 15.57 degrees south and minus 16.06 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes narrow to 42.62 degrees east and 42.15 degrees east, respectively. E has a diameter of 14.93 kilometers.

Lying to the southeast, satellite H is centered at minus 17.45 degrees south latitude, 44.13 degrees east longitude. H trims northernmost and southernmost latitudes to minus 17.21 degrees south and minus 17.68 degrees south, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes slim to 44.37 degrees east and 43.88 degrees east, respectively. H’s diameter measures 14.14 kilometers.

Outlier Colombo T is sited to the south-southeast of its parent. T is centered at minus 18.97 degrees south latitude, 45.46 degrees east longitude. T obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 18.85 degrees south and minus 19.08 degrees south, respectively. The satellite registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 45.63 degrees east and 45.29 degrees east, respectively. T’s diameter measures 9.96 kilometers.

The Colombo Crater system honors Spanish explorer Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus; ca. Aug. 26/Oct. 31, 1451-May 20, 1506). The IAU approved the parent crater’s name in 1935. The 10 Colombo satellite designations received approval in 2006.

The takeaways for Colombo Crater’s parentage of 10 satellites in the southeastern lunar near side are that the system occupies the rough strip between Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity) and Mare Nectaris (Sea of Nectar), that smallest satellite K’s diameter measures only 5 kilometers and that, at 40.78 kilometers, largest satellite A’s diameter halves its parent’s diameter of 79.02 kilometers.

Detail shows part of Colombo Crater system (top center) along eastern Mare Nectaris; Colombo (45-47 S, 16 E), Colombo B (45 S, 16 E), Colombo E (42-43 degrees S, 16 degrees E), Colombo H (44 S, 17 E), Colombo T (45 S, 19 E); D.E. Stuart-Alexander and R.W. Tabor’s Geologic Map of the Fracastorius Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Detail shows part of Colombo Crater system (center bottom) along southwestern Mare Fecunditatis; Colombo (45 degrees south, 14-16 degrees east), Colombo A (44 S, 14 E), Colombo E (42.5 S, 15.5 E), Colombo G (43 S, 14 E); Colombo H (43.5 S, 14.5 E), Colombo K (46.5 S, 16 E), Colombo M (48 S, 14.5 E), Colombo P (48 S, 15 E); D.P. Elston’s Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i714

Detail shows part of Colombo Crater system (top center) along eastern Mare Nectaris; Colombo (45-47 S, 16 E), Colombo B (45 S, 16 E), Colombo E (42-43 degrees S, 16 degrees E), Colombo H (44 S, 17 E), Colombo T (45 S, 19 E); D.E. Stuart-Alexander and R.W. Tabor’s Geologic Map of the Fracastorius Quadrangle (1972): Dept. of Interior-US Geological Survey/NASA/USAF ACIC, via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i720

For further information:

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

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Colombo.” The Moon, A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 130. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgeuoft/page/130/mode/1up

Elston, Donald P. “Geologic Map of the Colombo Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-714 (LAC-79). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1972.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i714

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1273

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8365

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo B.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8366

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo E.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8367

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo G.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8368

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo H.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8369

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo J.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8370

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo K.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8371

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo M.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8372

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo P.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8373

International Astronomical Union. “Colombo T.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8374

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Fecunditatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Nectaris.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3683

International Astronomical Union. “Montes Pyrenaeus.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4012

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

Marriner, Derdriu. “Goclenius Crater Parents Two Satellites in Southwest Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2014/12/goclenius-crater-parents-two-satellites.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Taruntius Crater Parents 15 Satellites on Northwest Mare Fecunditatis.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, May 4, 2011.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2011/05/taruntius-crater-parents-15-satellites.html

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.

Stuart-Alexander, Desiree E.; and Rowland W. Tabor. “Geologic Map of the Fracastorius Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon. IMAP-720 (LAC-97). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Department of the Interior United States Geological Survey, 1972.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i720

U.S. Geological Survey. Color-Coded Topography and Shaded Relief Map of the Lunar Near Side and Far Side Hemispheres. U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I-2769. Page last modified Nov. 30, 2016. Flagstaff AZ: U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2769/

Webb Crater Honors 19th-Century British Astronomer Thomas William Webb

Summary: Webb Crater honors 19th-century British astronomer Thomas William Webb, an Anglican clergyman who wrote Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes.

Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 80 shows Webb Crater (upper center) in the lunar near side’s southeastern quadrant, lying in the northeastern Mare Fecunditatis and to the west-southwest of Mare Spumans; 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

Webb Crater honors 19th-century British astronomer Thomas William Webb, an Anglican clergyman whose classic astronomical observing guide, Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, was published in 1859.

Webb Crater is a small lunar impact crater in the lunar near side’s southeastern quadrant. A low hill rises from the crater’s interior midpoint. British selenographer Thomas Gwyn Elger (Oct. 27, 1836-Jan. 9, 1897) described Webb as having “. . . a dusky floor, enclosed by a bright rim . . .” (page 123) in his classic Victorian era guide, The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features, published in 1895.

Webb Crater is centered at minus 0.98 degrees south latitude, 60 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern hemisphere crater marks northernmost and southernmost latitudes at minus 0.63 degrees south and minus 1.33 degrees south, respectively. The eastern hemisphere crater obtains easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 60.35 degrees east and 59.65 degrees east, respectively. Webb Crater has a diameter of 21.41 kilometers.

Webb Crater is located in the northeastern edge of Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity). Mare Fecunditatis is centered at minus 7.83 degrees south latitude, 53.67 degrees east longitude. The equator-straddling lunar mare registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 6.11 degrees north and minus 21.7 degrees south, respectively. The eastern hemisphere dark, basaltic plain records easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 63.34 degrees east and 40.77 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter spans 840.35 kilometers.

Webb Crater lies to the west-southwest of Mare Spumans (Foaming Sea). Mare Spumans is centered at 1.3 degrees north latitude, 65.3 degrees east longitude. The equator-straddling mare’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to 3.72 degrees north and minus 1.06 degrees south, respectively. The eastern hemisphere basaltic plain’s easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 66.73 degrees east and 63.61 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 143.13 kilometers.

Webb Crater received official name approval in 1935 during the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Vth (5th) General Assembly, held Wednesday, July 10, to Wednesday, July 17, in Paris, France. The crater honors 19th-century Anglican clergyman and astronomer Thomas William Webb (Dec. 14, 1807-May 19, 1885).

Reverend Webb’s interest in observational astronomy dated back to 1825, according to E.G. Moore’s article in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association in 1975. Webb’s observations filled four large notebooks, with Jupiter figuring as his first recorded observation on Dec. 2, 1834. Webb became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (FRAS) on Jan. 9, 1852.

In 1859, Reverend Webb published his classic Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. In the Introduction, he stated the treatise’s purpose as furnishing “. . . the possessors of ordinary telescopes with plain directions for their use, and a list of objects for their advantageous employment” (viii).

Webb defined “common telescopes” as those “. . . most frequently met within private hands.” He specified achromatic refractor telescopes with “. . . lengths up to 5 or 5 1/2 feet, with apertures up to 3 3/4 inches” or reflector telescopes “. . . of somewhat larger diameter, but in consequence of the loss of light in reflection, not greater brightness” (page 1).

Reverend Webb followed Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes with two more astronomy-themed books. In 1883, he published Optics Without Mathematics. The Sun: A Familiar Description of His Phaenomena appeared in 1885.

The takeaways for the lunar near side’s Webb Crater, which honors 19th-century British astronomer Thomas William Webb, are that the small lunar impact crater occupies the southeastern quadrant, lying in the northeastern Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity); and that the crater’s namesake was an Anglican clergyman whose interest in observational astronomy was evinced in his publication of his classic observational astronomy guide, Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, in 1859.

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows lunar near side’s Webb Crater (right center) in northeastern Mare Fecunditatis, to the west-southwest of Mare Spumans (upper right): 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) 80 shows Webb Crater in the lunar near side’s southeastern quadrant, lying in the northeastern Mare Fecunditatis and to the west-southwest of Mare Spumans; 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_80_wac.pdf

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows lunar near side’s Webb Crater (lower center) in northeastern Mare Fecunditatis, to the west-southwest of Mare Spumans: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/moon_nearside.pdf

For further information:

A.C.R. (Arthur Cowper Ranyard). “Thomas William Webb.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. XLVI, no. 4 (Feb. 12, 1886): 198-201.
Available @ https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/46/4/198/992498

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.

Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Webb.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 123. London UK: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/123

Grego, Peter. The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. London UK: Springer-VErlag, 2005.

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Mare Fecunditatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 25, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Mare Spumans.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3690

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.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/MOON/target

International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Webb.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6504

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

Marriner, Derdriu. “De Morgan Crater Honors British Mathematician Augustus De Morgan.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 27, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/06/de-morgan-crater-honors-british.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Maxwell Crater Honors Scottish Mathematical Physicist James Maxwell.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, June 6, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/06/maxwell-crater-honors-scottish.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “Near Side Lunar Crater Swift Honors American Astronomer Lewis Swift.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/01/near-side-lunar-crater-swift-honors.html

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

Mee, Arthur. “Thomas William Webb.” Popular Astronomy, vol. XIII, no. 3, whoe no. 123 (March 1905): 138-140.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1905PA.....13..138M
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1905PA.....13..138M

The Moon Wiki. “IAU Directions.” The Moon.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_directions

The Moon Wiki. “Mare Fecunditatis.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > C Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Fecunditatis.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > F Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Fecunditatis

The Moon Wiki. “Mare Spumans.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > S Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Mare_Spumans

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

Moore, E.G. “The Reverend Thomas William Webb: 1807-1885.” Journal of the British Astronomical Association, vol. 85, issue 5 (1975): 426-429.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1975JBAA...85..426M
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1975JBAA...85..426M

Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.

Steinicke, Wolfgang. “9.9. The Reverend Webb and His Planetary Nebula NGC 7027.” Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters: From Herschel to Dreyer’s New General Catalogue: 378-379. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Available via Google Books @ https://books.google.com/books?id=wyWjVWYWoO8C&pg=PA379

Stratton, F.J.M. (Frederick John Marrian), ed. Vth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. V B Proceedings of the 5th General Assembly Paris France, July 10-17, 1935. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, Jan. 1, 1936.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/

Webb, T.W. (Thomas William), Rev. Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. London UK: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1859.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/celestialobject02webbgoog/page/n11

Webb, T.W. (Thomas William), Rev. Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. In two volumes. Vol. I. Being a reprint of the fifth edition, revised and greatly enlarged (in 1893). London UK; New York NY; and Bombay, India: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1904.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t8ff3p276
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/celestialobjects01webbrich/

Webb, T.W. (Thomas William), Rev. Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. In two volumes. Vol. II. Fifth edition, revised and greatly enlarged. London UK; New York NY; and Bombay, India: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1894.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/celestialobjects02webbrich/

Webb, T.W. (Thomas William), Rev. Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. In two volumes. Vol. II. Fifth edition, revised and greatly enlarged (1894). London UK; New York NY; and Bombay, India: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1907.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015064563078

Webb, Thomas William, Rev. Optics Without Mathematics. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; New York NY: E. & J.B. Young & Co., 1883.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/opticswithoutmat00webbrich/

Webb, Thomas William, Rev. The Sun: A Familiar Description of His Phaenomena. London UK: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1885.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008905493

Lunar Taruntius Crater System Lost Three Satellites in 1973

Summary: The lunar Taruntius Crater system lost three satellites in 1973 when C, D and M received official IAU-approved names as craters.

Detail of Lunar Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 61, between 10 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees east longitude, shows Cameron, Lawrence, Watts and Taruntius Crater system on northwestern Mare Fecunditatis; scale 1:1,000,000; Mercator Projection: United States Air Force (USAF) Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) via USGS/Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature

The lunar Taruntius Crater system lost three satellites in 1973 when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved official names of Cameron, Watts and Lawrence for former Taruntius satellites C, D and M.

The upgrade from secondary to primary craters reduced Taruntius Crater’s parentage from 22 to 19. The Taruntius system’s remaining associated secondary craters are identified as A, B, E, F, G, H, K, L, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X and Z.

The Taruntius Crater system occupies the maria-rich first, or northeastern, quadrant of the moon’s near side. The primary and second craters are found on the northwestern border of Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fecundity). Two other dark, basaltic plains, Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises) and Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility), are sited in the Taruntius neighborhood.

Cameron Crater distinctively breaks Taruntius Crater’s northwestern rim. The circular, cup-shaped crater is centered at 6.19 degrees north latitude and 45.93 degrees east longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to 6.37 degrees north and 6.01 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 46.11 degrees east and 45.75 degrees east, respectively. Cameron Crater’s diameter spans 10.91 kilometers.

Prior to IAU approval of Cameron as its official name in 1973, the small impact crater was designated as Taruntius C. Cameron’s namesake was American astronomer Robert Curry Cameron (1925-December 1972). Cameron’s astronomy resume included the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) in Washington, D.C., and also at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. On April 20, 1950, Cameron discovered asteroid 1950 HH, which he named 1575 Winifred in honor of his wife, American astronomer Winifred Sawtell Cameron (Dec. 3, 1918-March 29, 2016).

Watts lies to the north of Cameron and Taruntius, on the extreme northern edge of Mare Fecunditatis. The small lunar impact crater is centered at 8.84 degrees north latitude, 46.31 degrees east longitude. Watts obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 9.1 degrees north and 8.59 degrees north, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes are registered at 46.57 degrees east and 46.05 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter measures 15.55 kilometers.

In 1973, the IAU approved Watts as the official name for previously-designated Taruntius satellite D. The crater’s name honors American astronomer Chester Burleigh Watts (Oct. 27, 1889-July 17, 1971). Watts devoted most of his career to the United States Naval Observatory’s 6-inch Transit Circle Division.

Lawrence Crater lies southwest of Watts and northwest of Cameron and Taruntius. Lawrence is centered at 7.35 degrees north latitude, 43.3 degrees east longitude. Northernmost and southernmost latitude extend to 7.75 degrees north and 6.96 degrees north, respectively. Easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach to 43.7 degrees east and 42.9 degrees east, respectively. Its diameter spans 24.02 kilometers.

In 1973, the IAU officially changed the flooded lunar impact crater’s name from Taruntius satellite M to Lawrence. The crater honors two namesakes. American nuclear scientist Ernest Orlando Lawrence (Aug. 8, 1901-Aug. 27, 1958) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in November 1939 for his invention, the cyclotron, and for results, especially concerning artificial radioactive elements, obtained with his particle accelerator. United States Air Force (USAF) test pilot Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. (Oct. 2, 1935-Dec. 8, 1967) became his country’s first African-American astronaut with his acceptance in June 1967 into the Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL), the Air Force’s human spaceflight program.

The takeaway for the lunar Taruntius Crater system’s loss of three satellites in 1973 is that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) promoted Taruntius C, D and M from secondary to primary craters with respective official names of Cameron, Watts and Lawrence.

Apollo 10 mission 70mm, black-and-white photograph shows Cameron Crater, then designated as Taruntius C, breaking rim of Taruntius Crater; 70mm Hasselblad, film magazine 31 (R); NASA ID AS10-31-4570: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), No known copyright restrictions, via U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

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 Aeronautical Chart (LAC) 61, between 10 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees east longitude, shows Cameron, Lawrence, Watts and Taruntius Crater system on northwestern Mare Fecunditatis; scale 1:1,000,000; Mercator Projection: United States Air Force (USAF) Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC) via USGS/Gazetter of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_61_wac.pdf

Apollo 10 mission 70mm, black-and-white photograph shows Cameron Crater, then designated as Taruntius C, breaking rim of Taruntius Crater; 70mm Hasselblad, film magazine 31 (R); NASA ID AS10-31-4570: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), No known copyright restrictions, via U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) @ https://nara.getarchive.net/media/as10-31-4570-apollo-10-apollo-10-mission-image-crater-taruntius-ca8633

For further information:

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

International Astronomical Union. “Cameron.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/986

International Astronomical Union. “Lawrence.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3308

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Crisium.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3671

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Fecunditatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3673

International Astronomical Union. “Mare Tranquillitatis.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3691

International Astronomical Union. “Taruntius.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5878

International Astronomical Union. “Watts.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6498

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U.S. Geological Survey. Color-Coded Topography and Shaded Relief Map of the Lunar Near Side and Far Side Hemispheres. U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series I-2769. Page last modified Nov. 30, 2016. Flagstaff AZ: U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center, 2003.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2769/