Gill (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Gill is a lunar
crater
that is located near the southeastern limb of the Moon
. Due to its proximity to the edge of the Moon as seen from the Earth
, this crater is viewed nearly from the side and it can become hidden from sight due to libration
. The crater lies to the southwest of the irregular Mare Australe
, and southeast of the prominent crater Pontécoulant
. To the southwest of Gill is the crater Helmholtz
.
This is an old, eroded crater formation with an outer rim that is uneven from a history of impacts. A joined pair of small craters lie along the northern rim, and Gill A intrudes slightly into the western outer rim. The interior floor is relatively level, and is marked by several craterlets.
On June 11, 2009, the Japanese SELENE
lunar orbiter spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the surface of the Moon to the southeast of the Gill crater. The impact site was at selenographic coordinates 65.5 S, 80.4 E. The flash from the impact was successfully observed from Mount Abu Observatory in Gurushikar, India. and by the Anglo-Australian Telescope
.
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 near the southeastern 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...
. Due to its proximity to the edge of the Moon 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...
, this crater is viewed nearly from the side and it can become hidden from sight due 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:...
. The crater lies to the southwest of the irregular Mare Australe
Mare Australe
Mare Australe is a lunar mare located in the southeastern hemisphere of the Moon. It is 603 kilometers in diameter, overlapping the near and far sides of the Moon. Smooth, dark volcanic basalt lines the bottom of the mare...
, and southeast of the prominent crater Pontécoulant
Pontécoulant (crater)
Pontécoulant is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon. Due to its position, the crater appears foreshortened from the Earth and it is difficult to observe much detail...
. To the southwest of Gill is the crater Helmholtz
Helmholtz (lunar crater)
Helmholtz is a lunar impact crater that is located near the south-southeast limb of the Moon. Attached to the south-southeast rim of Helmholtz is the somewhat smaller crater Neumayer. The larger crater Boussingault is nearly attached to the west-southwestern rim.The outer rim of Helmholtz is worn...
.
This is an old, eroded crater formation with an outer rim that is uneven from a history of impacts. A joined pair of small craters lie along the northern rim, and Gill A intrudes slightly into the western outer rim. The interior floor is relatively level, and is marked by several craterlets.
On June 11, 2009, the Japanese SELENE
SELENE
SELENE , better known in Japan by its nickname after the legendary Japanese moon princess, was the second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft. Produced by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and the National Space Development Agency , both now part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration...
lunar orbiter spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the surface of the Moon to the southeast of the Gill crater. The impact site was at selenographic coordinates 65.5 S, 80.4 E. The flash from the impact was successfully observed from Mount Abu Observatory in Gurushikar, India. and by the Anglo-Australian Telescope
Anglo-Australian Telescope
The Anglo-Australian Telescope is a 3.9 m equatorially mounted telescope operated by the Australian Astronomical Observatory and situated at the Siding Spring Observatory, Australia at an altitude of a little over 1100 m...
.
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 Gill.| Gill | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter (km) | Diameter (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 63.6° S | 72.9° E | 13 km | 8 mi |
| B | 61.7° S | 69.9° E | 31 km | 19 mi |
| C | 62.2° S | 67.4° E | 30 km | 19 mi |
| D | 63.4° S | 79.8° E | 15 km | 9 mi |
| E | 63.3° S | 70.4° E | 13 km | 8 mi |
| F | 63.8° S | 65.1° E | 23 km | 14 mi |
| G | 63.5° S | 68.2° E | 32 km | 20 mi |
| H | 63.9° S | 70.2° E | 8 km | 5 mi |