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Aitken (crater)
Encyclopedia
Aitken is a large lunar
impact crater
that lies on the far side of the Moon
, named for Robert Grant Aitken
, an American astronomer specializing in binary stellar systems. It is located to the southeast of the crater Heaviside
, and north of the unusual formation Van de Graaff
. Attached to the southwest rim is Vertregt
. To the southeast is the smaller Bergstrand
.
The inner wall of Aitken is terraced, and varies notably in width with the narrowest portion in the southwest. The crater Aitken Z lies across the inner north wall. Just to the north of the rim is the small crater Aitken A, which is surrounded by an ejecta blanket of lighter-albedo
material. The interior floor has been resurfaced in the past by a darker lava
flow, especially in the southern half. There are also several small crater impacts on the eastern floor, an arcing central ridge line just to the east of the mid-point, and a line of smaller ridges in the western half.
This crater lies along the northern rim of the immense South Pole-Aitken basin
, which was named after this crater and the southern lunar pole, the two extreme points of the feature.
L&PI topographic map
s of Aitken:
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
impact crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
that lies on the far side of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, named for Robert Grant Aitken
Robert Grant Aitken
Robert Grant Aitken was an American astronomer.He worked at Lick Observatory in California. He systematically studied double stars, measuring their positions and calculating their orbits around one another...
, an American astronomer specializing in binary stellar systems. It is located to the southeast of the crater Heaviside
Heaviside (lunar crater)
Heaviside is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It is attached to the eastern rim of the equally large walled plain Keeler, although Keeler is somewhat less eroded...
, and north of the unusual formation Van de Graaff
Van de Graaff (crater)
Van de Graaff is an unusual lunar formation that has the appearance of two merged craters, approximately in a figure-8 shape with no intervening rim separating the two halves. The crater is located on the far side of the Moon, on the northeast edge of Mare Ingenii. The crater Birkeland is attached...
. Attached to the southwest rim is Vertregt
Vertregt (crater)
Vertregt is the ancient remnant of a large lunar impact crater. It is located on the far side of the Moon, to the north of the unusual walled plain Van de Graaff...
. To the southeast is the smaller Bergstrand
Bergstrand (crater)
Bergstrand is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the southeast of the prominent crater Aitken, and northeast of the walled plain Vertregt....
.
The inner wall of Aitken is terraced, and varies notably in width with the narrowest portion in the southwest. The crater Aitken Z lies across the inner north wall. Just to the north of the rim is the small crater Aitken A, which is surrounded by an ejecta blanket of lighter-albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
material. The interior floor has been resurfaced in the past by a darker lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flow, especially in the southern half. There are also several small crater impacts on the eastern floor, an arcing central ridge line just to the east of the mid-point, and a line of smaller ridges in the western half.
This crater lies along the northern rim of the immense South Pole-Aitken basin
South Pole-Aitken basin
The South Pole-Aitken basin is an impact crater on Earth's Moon. Roughly in diameter and deep, it is one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System. It is the largest, oldest and deepest basin recognized on the Moon. This moon basin was named for two features on opposing sides; the...
, which was named after this crater and the southern lunar pole, the two extreme points of the feature.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on Lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Aitken.| Aitken | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 14.0° S | 173.7° E | 13 km |
| C | 14.0° S | 175.8° E | 74 km |
| G | 16.8° S | 174.2° E | 7 km |
| N | 17.7° S | 172.7° E | 7 km |
| Y | 12.0° S | 173.2° E | 35 km |
| Z | 15.1° S | 173.3° E | 33 km |
External links
L&PI topographic map
Topographic map
A topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features...
s of Aitken: