Encke (crater)

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Encke
Encke crater 4138 h1.jpg
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates4°36′N 36°36′W / 4.6°N 36.6°W / 4.6; -36.6Coordinates: 4°36′N 36°36′W / 4.6°N 36.6°W / 4.6; -36.6
Diameter28 km
Depth0.8 km
Colongitude37° at sunrise
EponymJohann F. Encke
Crater area with mineral postprocessing (VDVF-daytime acquisition)
Oblique view from Apollo 12

Encke is a lunar impact crater that is located on the western edge of the Mare Insularum, to the south-southeast of the crater Kepler. The small crater Kunowsky lies to the east-southeast on the mare.

The crater is named after German mathematician and astronomer Johann Franz Encke.[1]

The rim of Encke is low and somewhat polygonal in shape. The tiny craterlet Encke N lies across the western rim. The floor is somewhat uneven, and is covered in ray material from the nearby Kepler. The high albedo of this ejecta makes Encke a bright feature when the Sun is at a high elevation over the lunar surface.

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 Encke.

Encke Latitude Longitude Diameter
B 2.4° N 36.8° W 12 km
C 0.7° N 36.4° W 9 km
E 0.3° N 40.1° W 9 km
G 4.8° N 38.8° W 7 km
H 4.0° N 37.3° W 4 km
J 5.2° N 39.5° W 5 km
K 1.4° N 37.2° W 4 km
M 4.5° N 35.1° W 3 km
N 4.6° N 37.1° W 4 km
T 3.4° N 38.0° W 91 km
X 0.9° N 40.3° W 3 km
Y 5.9° N 36.4° W 3 km

  • High-resolution Lunar Orbiter 1 image of Encke C

  • Apollo 12 image of Encke C

  • Apollo 12 image of Encke E

  • Apollo 12 image of Encke X, with its bright ray system

References[]

  1. ^ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | Encke". usgs.gov. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  • 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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