Bessarion (crater)

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Bessarion
Bessarion crater 4138 h2 -671618083.jpg
Lunar Orbiter 4 image of Bessarion (center) and Bessarion E (top center)
Coordinates14°54′N 37°18′W / 14.9°N 37.3°W / 14.9; -37.3Coordinates: 14°54′N 37°18′W / 14.9°N 37.3°W / 14.9; -37.3
Diameter10.2 km
Depth2.0 km
Colongitude37° at sunrise
EponymBessarion
Oblique view from Apollo 15

Bessarion is a lunar impact crater located near the southwest edge of Mare Imbrium. It is named after Greek scholar Bessarion.[1] Some distance to the east is the crater T. Mayer. Bessarion is a bowl-shaped crater with a low central rise and a higher albedo than the maria, making it a brighter feature when the sun is overhead.

Just to the north of Bessarion is a smaller crater Bessarion E that also has a relatively high albedo. This crater is sometimes called Virgil, although this name is not officially recognized by the IAU.

Satellite craters[]

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Bessarion.

Bessarion Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 17.1° N 39.8° W 13 km
B 16.8° N 41.7° W 12 km
C 16.0° N 42.6° W 9 km
D 19.8° N 41.7° W 9 km
E 15.4° N 37.3° W 8 km
G 14.9° N 40.3° W 4 km
H 15.3° N 41.4° W 5 km
V 15.0° N 35.0° W 3 km
W 16.7° N 36.9° W 3 km

References[]

  1. ^ "Bessarion (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  • Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
  • Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  • Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  • Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
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