Raphael (crater)

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Raphael
Raphael crater MESSENGER WAC IGF to RGB.jpg
MESSENGER approximate color image
PlanetMercury
Coordinates20°25′S 76°21′W / 20.42°S 76.35°W / -20.42; -76.35Coordinates: 20°25′S 76°21′W / 20.42°S 76.35°W / -20.42; -76.35
QuadrangleKuiper
Diameter342 km
EponymRaphael
Another MESSENGER view

Raphael is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976, and is named for the Italian painter Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino).[1]

Unlike other Mercurian craters of similar size, Raphael is not multi-ringed.[2]

The crater Flaiano lies just south of the center of Raphael.

There is also a high-albedo area east of Flaiano, that is associated with irregular depressions. The depressions are similar to those within Navoi, Lermontov, Scarlatti, and Praxiteles. The depressions resemble those associated with volcanic explosions.[3]

High-albedo area in Raphael crater

References[]

  1. ^ "Raphael". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. ^ Trask, N.J., 1976, History of basin development on Mercury: Conference on Comparisons of Mercury and The Moon: Lunar Science Institute Contribution no. 262, p.36.
  3. ^ "Navoi: An Uncommon Crater Named for the Uzbek Poet". Messenger. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
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