Bjerknes (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Bjerknes is a lunar
impact crater
that is located in the southern hemisphere
on the rugged far side of the Moon
. The crater lies behind the southeastern limb, and beyond the region that is sometimes brought into sight through libration
. Thus this crater can not be viewed from Earth
, and has only been seen from orbit. Nearby named craters are Clark
to the east, and Pogson
to the south-southwest.
The crater rim is generally circular, but with some slight irregularities along the northeastern quadrant. The rim is relatively sharp-edged, and displays little appearance of wear. The interior floor is rough and irregular, beginning with the slumped material at the base of the inner walls.
The crater is named in honor of Vilhelm Bjerknes, a pioneer in the field of weather forecasting.
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 is located in the southern hemisphere
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
on the rugged 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...
. The crater lies behind the southeastern limb, and beyond the region that is sometimes brought into sight through 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:...
. Thus this crater can not be viewed from 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...
, and has only been seen from orbit. Nearby named craters are Clark
Clark (lunar crater)
Clark is a lunar crater that lies in the southern hemisphere of the Moon's far side. It is located midway between the larger walled plain Van der Waals to the south and the similar-sized crater Pizzetti to the north. It is named for American astronomer and telescope maker Alvan Clark and his son...
to the east, and Pogson
Pogson (crater)
Pogson is a lunar crater on the Moon's far side, behind the southeastern limb. It is located midway between the flooded crater Lebedev to the southwest and Bjerknes to the northeast. Farther west of Pogson is the uneven Mare Australe....
to the south-southwest.
The crater rim is generally circular, but with some slight irregularities along the northeastern quadrant. The rim is relatively sharp-edged, and displays little appearance of wear. The interior floor is rough and irregular, beginning with the slumped material at the base of the inner walls.
The crater is named in honor of Vilhelm Bjerknes, a pioneer in the field of weather forecasting.
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 Bjerknes.| Bjerknes | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 36.0° S | 113.7° E | 18 km |
| B | 37.2° S | 113.8° E | 20 km |
| E | 38.0° S | 115.0° E | 54 km |