Bragg (crater)

Bragg
Clementine mosaic
Coordinates42°20′N 103°26′W / 42.33°N 103.44°W / 42.33; -103.44
Diameter77.21 km (47.98 mi)
DepthUnknown
Colongitude104° at sunrise
EponymWilliam H. Bragg
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west

Bragg is an ancient lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northwest limb. This formation has been heavily eroded and reshaped by subsequent impacts, leaving an irregular depression in the surface. The most intact portion of the rim is along the western face, while the northern and eastern rim has been nearly worn away and is overlaid by several smaller craters. The most notable of these is Bragg H, which lies across the east-southeastern rim.

This crater is located to the north-northwest of the walled plain Lorentz. Nearby craters of note include Rynin to the north, Stefan to the northwest, Lacchini to the west, and Avicenna to the southeast. The region about this crater is very rugged and marked by many smaller impacts.

Prior to formal naming by the IAU in 1970,[1] Bragg was called Crater 102.[2]

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 Bragg.

Bragg Latitude Longitude Diameter
H 41.7° N 101.0° W 40 km
M 39.1° N 102.5° W 45 km
P 40.0° N 104.4° W 30 km

References

  1. ^ Bragg, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
  2. ^ Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A), 2nd Edition October 1967
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  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
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