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Bel'kovich (crater)
Encyclopedia
Bel'kovich is a large lunar
crater
of the form termed a walled plain. The formation has been heavily eroded by a history of subsequent impacts, leaving it reshaped, worn, and the features softened and rounded. Bel'kovich is located along the northeastern limb of the Moon
, and so its visibility is subject to libration
effects. From the Earth
this crater is viewed from the side, making it difficult to view it in detail.
Bel'kovich intrudes into the northeast portion of the Mare Humboldtianum
, and the mare area outside the rim consists of hilly, irregular surface that covers much of the northern half of the lunar mare
. The younger crater Hayn
intrudes into the northwest rim of Bel'kovich, and the satellite crater Bel'kovich K lies across the northeast rim. In the south, the lava
-flooded crater Bel'kovich A cuts across the southern rim, and its western rim is overlain in turn by the small, bowl-shaped Bel'kovich B.
Apart from the intersecting crater formations, the outer rim of Bel'kovich has been degraded and reshaped until it now consists of a roughly circular range of mountains and hills. The northern and northeastern parts of the crater floor and rim is an irregular surface of many small hillocks. The southeast quadrant of the interior is nearly as irregular, and contains a number os small craterlets. Only in the western part of the floor is the surface relatively flat. From here a slender rille
extends to the east-southeast before bending to the southeast.
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...
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...
of the form termed a walled plain. The formation has been heavily eroded by a history of subsequent impacts, leaving it reshaped, worn, and the features softened and rounded. Bel'kovich is located along the northeastern limb 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...
, and so its visibility is subject to libration
Libration
In astronomy, libration is an oscillating motion of orbiting bodies relative to each other, notably including the motion of the Moon relative to Earth, or of Trojan asteroids relative to planets.-Lunar libration:...
effects. From the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
this crater is viewed from the side, making it difficult to view it in detail.
Bel'kovich intrudes into the northeast portion of the Mare Humboldtianum
Mare Humboldtianum
Mare Humboldtianum is a lunar mare located within the Humboldtianum basin, just to the east of Mare Frigoris. It is located along the northeastern limb of the Moon, and continues on to the far side...
, and the mare area outside the rim consists of hilly, irregular surface that covers much of the northern half of the lunar mare
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
. The younger crater Hayn
Hayn (crater)
Hayn is a lunar impact crater that lies next to the northeast limb of the Moon. This location restricts the amount of detail that can be viewed from the Earth, as the western inner side is permanently hidden from sight...
intrudes into the northwest rim of Bel'kovich, and the satellite crater Bel'kovich K lies across the northeast rim. In the south, the 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...
-flooded crater Bel'kovich A cuts across the southern rim, and its western rim is overlain in turn by the small, bowl-shaped Bel'kovich B.
Apart from the intersecting crater formations, the outer rim of Bel'kovich has been degraded and reshaped until it now consists of a roughly circular range of mountains and hills. The northern and northeastern parts of the crater floor and rim is an irregular surface of many small hillocks. The southeast quadrant of the interior is nearly as irregular, and contains a number os small craterlets. Only in the western part of the floor is the surface relatively flat. From here a slender rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
extends to the east-southeast before bending to the southeast.
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 Bel'kovich.| Bel'kovich | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 58.7° N | 86.0° E | 58 km |
| B | 58.9° N | 85.0° E | 13 km |
| K | 63.8° N | 93.6° E | 47 km |