Debye (crater)
Encyclopedia
Debye is a lunar
crater
that is located in the northern hemisphere
on the Moon
's far side, as seen from the Earth
. It lies to the south of the crater Chappell
, and to the southwest of the walled plain Rowland
.
The outer rim of this crater has been heavily battered by impacts, and is somewhat distorted from the form of a circle. The northeast rim in particular has become straightened by impact modification, and the crater rim as a whole has a roughly polygon
al shape. The southern rim is overlaid by the smaller crater Perkin
. The most heavily eroded section of the rim is along the northeast, where a cluster of overlapping craters intrudes into the side. The western rim is notched and indented by several small impacts.
The crater interior is nearly as battered as the outer rim. The outer rampart of Perkin intrudes part way across the southern floor. Parts of remaining interior have been bombarded and churned by impacts, leaving an irregular surface that is nearly as rough as the terrain that surrounds the crater. The most recent of these impacts is a small, cup-shaped crater just to the southwest of the mid-point.
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...
that is located in the northern 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 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...
's far side, as seen 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...
. It lies to the south of the crater Chappell
Chappell (crater)
Chappell is a lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the northern hemisphere just to the north of the crater Debye. This feature is located in a heavily bombarded section of the surface, and much of the outer rim of the crater is overlain by many smaller craters...
, and to the southwest of the walled plain Rowland
Rowland (crater)
Rowland is a large lunar crater that is located in the northern part of the Moon, on the far side from the Earth. This is an old, worn formation that is overlain by a number of smaller craters. The most notable of these is Rowland Y, which is attached to the inner wall along the north-northwestern...
.
The outer rim of this crater has been heavily battered by impacts, and is somewhat distorted from the form of a circle. The northeast rim in particular has become straightened by impact modification, and the crater rim as a whole has a roughly polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
al shape. The southern rim is overlaid by the smaller crater Perkin
Perkin (crater)
Perkin is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the Moon's far side. Just to the southeast is the somewhat smaller cater Guillaume, and to the west-southwest lies Dunér. To the northwest of Perkin is the large walled plain D'Alembert.This is a worn and eroded crater...
. The most heavily eroded section of the rim is along the northeast, where a cluster of overlapping craters intrudes into the side. The western rim is notched and indented by several small impacts.
The crater interior is nearly as battered as the outer rim. The outer rampart of Perkin intrudes part way across the southern floor. Parts of remaining interior have been bombarded and churned by impacts, leaving an irregular surface that is nearly as rough as the terrain that surrounds the crater. The most recent of these impacts is a small, cup-shaped crater just to the southwest of the mid-point.
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 Debye.| Debye | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 50.4° N | 171.0° W | 41 km |
| J | 48.4° N | 172.6° W | 30 km |
| Q | 47.5° N | 178.4° W | 26 km |