Lowell (lunar crater)

This article is about the crater on the Moon. For the Martian crater, see Lowell (Martian crater).
Lowell
Coordinates12°54′S 103°06′W / 12.9°S 103.1°W / -12.9; -103.1
Diameter66 km
DepthUnknown
Colongitude104° at sunrise
EponymPercival Lowell
Oblique view from Lunar Orbiter 5 while the crater was at the terminator

Lowell is a lunar impact crater that lies just beyond the western limb of the Moon. It is embedded within the northwestern part of the Montes Rook mountain ring of the Mare Orientale impact basin. This portion of the Moon's far side is sometimes brought into view of the Earth during periods of favorable libration and lighting, although it is only seen from the edge.

The crater is circular in outline, with a well-defined edge. A small crater lies along the edge of the eastern rim. The inner wall is wider along the western side, and there are some terrace structures. In the middle of the crater is a central peak on the interior floor.

Satellite craters

Lowell crater & satellite crater

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

Lowell Latitude Longitude Diameter
W 10.0° S 107.0° W 18 km

References

  • Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
  • Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  • 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.