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Hilbert (crater)
Encyclopedia
Hilbert is a lunar
crater
that is located on the far side of the Moon
, just past the southeast limb. It lies just beyond the region of the surface that is occasionally brought into view due to libration
, and so this feature cannot be observed directly from the Earth
.
The crater is attached to the southeast rim of the walled plain Pasteur
, a formation nearly half as large again as Hilbert. To the southeast of Hilbert is the smaller crater Alden
, while Backlund
lies to the west-northwest.
Much of the outer rim of Hilbert remains relatively intact, although it is heavily eroded in places particularly in the south. The interior is relatively flat, but has been deeply gouged by several small craters. There is a short range of central ridges offset to the west of the interior mid-point. Just to the west of the ridges is Hilbert W, a crater with a smaller crater overlying the western rim, giving it a pear-like shape. Hilbert H is a circular, bowl-shaped crater in the east part of the floor. Next to the northern rim is Hilbert Y. There are also many lesser craterlets scattered about the interior.
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 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...
, just past the southeast limb. It lies just beyond the region of the surface that is occasionally brought into view 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:...
, and so this feature cannot be observed directly 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...
.
The crater is attached to the southeast rim of the walled plain Pasteur
Pasteur (lunar crater)
Pasteur is a large lunar crater belonging to the category termed a walled plain. It lies on the far side of the Moon as seen from the Earth, just beyond the eastern limb. The vicinity of this crater is occasionally brought into view from Earth due to librations, although not much detail can be...
, a formation nearly half as large again as Hilbert. To the southeast of Hilbert is the smaller crater Alden
Alden (crater)
Alden is a lunar crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, between Hilbert to the north-northwest and Milne to the south-southeast. To the south-southwest lies Scaliger....
, while Backlund
Backlund (crater)
Backlund is a worn lunar crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, beyond the eastern limb. It lies astride the southern rim of the walled plain Pasteur, to the west of the crater Hilbert. Further to the west-southwest is Sklodowska. The north and south ends of Backlund are more worn and eroded...
lies to the west-northwest.
Much of the outer rim of Hilbert remains relatively intact, although it is heavily eroded in places particularly in the south. The interior is relatively flat, but has been deeply gouged by several small craters. There is a short range of central ridges offset to the west of the interior mid-point. Just to the west of the ridges is Hilbert W, a crater with a smaller crater overlying the western rim, giving it a pear-like shape. Hilbert H is a circular, bowl-shaped crater in the east part of the floor. Next to the northern rim is Hilbert Y. There are also many lesser craterlets scattered about the interior.
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 Hilbert.| Hilbert | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 15.9° S | 108.7° E | 11 km |
| E | 16.5° S | 111.8° E | 49 km |
| G | 19.0° S | 114.0° E | 50 km |
| H | 18.2° S | 109.6° E | 14 km |
| L | 21.2° S | 108.9° E | 32 km |
| S | 18.1° S | 105.8° E | 12 km |
| W | 17.1° S | 107.6° E | 20 km |
| Y | 15.6° S | 107.5° E | 28 km |