Dryden (crater)
Encyclopedia
Dryden is a lunar
impact crater
that is located on the southern hemisphere
on the far side of the Moon
. It lies within the huge walled plain called Apollo
, and is one of several features within that basin named after people associated with the Apollo program. Apollo itself has an inner ring, and Dryden is attached to the west-northwest part of that circular mountain formation. To the south of Dryden along the same range is the crater Chaffee
.
The perimeter of Dryden forms a crude circle with an irregular shape due to several small outward bulges. The most notable of these is along the eastern side where the rim has slumped inwards. The rim is not significantly worn, and displays a sharp edge. Attached to the southeastern exterior is the ridge forming part of the inner ring of Apollo. The northeastward extension of this ring is less well defined, but appears to begin at the eastern rim.
Much of the inner wall of the crater consists of a gently sloping inner surface with a pile of debris along the bottom, forming a ring around the interior floor. Offset slightly northeast of the mid-point is a central peak formation. The remainder of the interior is marked only by a few tiny craterlets.
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 on 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 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...
. It lies within the huge walled plain called Apollo
Apollo (crater)
Apollo is an enormous impact crater located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This formation dwarfs the large crater Oppenheimer that is located next to the western rim. The crater Barringer lies across the northern wall...
, and is one of several features within that basin named after people associated with the Apollo program. Apollo itself has an inner ring, and Dryden is attached to the west-northwest part of that circular mountain formation. To the south of Dryden along the same range is the crater Chaffee
Chaffee (crater)
Chaffee is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies within the huge walled plain Apollo, and is one of several craters in that formation named for astronauts and people associated with the Apollo program. This basin is a double-ringed...
.
The perimeter of Dryden forms a crude circle with an irregular shape due to several small outward bulges. The most notable of these is along the eastern side where the rim has slumped inwards. The rim is not significantly worn, and displays a sharp edge. Attached to the southeastern exterior is the ridge forming part of the inner ring of Apollo. The northeastward extension of this ring is less well defined, but appears to begin at the eastern rim.
Much of the inner wall of the crater consists of a gently sloping inner surface with a pile of debris along the bottom, forming a ring around the interior floor. Offset slightly northeast of the mid-point is a central peak formation. The remainder of the interior is marked only by a few tiny craterlets.
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 Dryden.| Dryden | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 33.8° S | 158.8° W | 30 km |
| T | 32.8° S | 158.6° W | 35 km |
| W | 31.0° S | 158.5° W | 30 km |