Dyson (crater)
Encyclopedia
Dyson is a lunar
impact crater
that lies on the far side of the Moon
, past the northwest limb. It is located in the northern part of the surface, to the northwest of the crater Coulomb
, and east of van't Hoff
.
The most unusual aspect of this crater is the asymmetry of the inner wall. To the northeast the rim is low and the inner wall is quite narrow, almost non-existent. This portion of the rim overlies the interior of an unnamed depression in the surface; most likely a damaged crater. In the remaining arc between the eastern rim clockwise to the north, the inner wall is much wider. As a result the level inner floor is offset toward the northeast. The interior has a central peak located near the mid-point of the crater, then forming a linear ridge that continues until it reaches the western inner wall. The floor is otherwise nearly featureless, except for a few tiny craterlets.
The rim and inner wall have been somewhat worn by impact erosion, but are not overlaid by any impacts of significance. The small crater Dyson X is attached to the exterior of the rim along the north-northwest side. A smaller crater is nearly attached to the southwest rim, and this also lies along the northeast rim of the large satellite crater Dyson Q, a heavily eroded formation. A cluster of tiny craters is attached to the southeast rim of Dyson.
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...
, past the northwest limb. It is located in the northern part of the surface, to the northwest of the crater Coulomb
Coulomb (crater)
Coulomb is a lunar impact crater that lies behind the northwestern limb, on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the west-southwest of the large crater Poczobutt, and northeast of Sarton....
, and east of van't Hoff
Van't Hoff (crater)
van't Hoff is a lunar crater that is located to the northeast of the walled plain Birkhoff, on the far side of the Moon. To the northwest is the crater Stebbins, and to the east lies the smaller Dyson....
.
The most unusual aspect of this crater is the asymmetry of the inner wall. To the northeast the rim is low and the inner wall is quite narrow, almost non-existent. This portion of the rim overlies the interior of an unnamed depression in the surface; most likely a damaged crater. In the remaining arc between the eastern rim clockwise to the north, the inner wall is much wider. As a result the level inner floor is offset toward the northeast. The interior has a central peak located near the mid-point of the crater, then forming a linear ridge that continues until it reaches the western inner wall. The floor is otherwise nearly featureless, except for a few tiny craterlets.
The rim and inner wall have been somewhat worn by impact erosion, but are not overlaid by any impacts of significance. The small crater Dyson X is attached to the exterior of the rim along the north-northwest side. A smaller crater is nearly attached to the southwest rim, and this also lies along the northeast rim of the large satellite crater Dyson Q, a heavily eroded formation. A cluster of tiny craters is attached to the southeast rim of Dyson.
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 Dyson.| Dyson | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 63.6° N | 117.6° W | 45 km |
| H | 59.5° N | 113.7° W | 21 km |
| M | 58.4° N | 120.9° W | 34 km |
| Q | 59.8° N | 125.7° W | 89 km |
| X | 62.6° N | 122.5° W | 28 km |