Mandel'shtam (crater)
Encyclopedia
Mandel'shtam is the remains of a large crater
on the Moon
's far side. Nearly attached to the northeast outer rim is the crater Papaleksi
. To the south lies the crater Vening Meinesz
.
The outer rim of this crater has been battered into near ruin, with sections forming only an irregular circular rise in the surface. Much of the rim consists clefts, small craters, and ridges. The satellite crater Mandel'shtam R breaks across the rim to the west-southwest, and Mandel'shtam Y is attached to the northern edge.
The interior floor of the crater has not escaped bombardment, and the central portion is overlain by Mandel'shtam A, a respectable crater in its own right. Mandel'shtam N lies on the interior along the south-southwestern inner edge. The northwestern floor and to a lesser degree the southeast floor are relatively level, and have suffered less impact damage than elsewhere.
A small crater to the east has a small ray system
with several faint, streaky rays overlaying the floor of Mandel'shtam.
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...
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. Nearly attached to the northeast outer rim is the crater Papaleksi
Papaleksi (crater)
Papaleksi is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the northeastern outskirts of the large crater Mandel'shtam. About 20 km to the north-northeast of Papaleksi is the similar crater Spencer Jones....
. To the south lies the crater Vening Meinesz
Vening Meinesz (crater)
Vening Meinesz is a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. The northern inner wall of this crater lies along the lunar equator. To the north of this formation is the larger crater Mandel'shtam, and slightly farther to the south is the larger Keeler...
.
The outer rim of this crater has been battered into near ruin, with sections forming only an irregular circular rise in the surface. Much of the rim consists clefts, small craters, and ridges. The satellite crater Mandel'shtam R breaks across the rim to the west-southwest, and Mandel'shtam Y is attached to the northern edge.
The interior floor of the crater has not escaped bombardment, and the central portion is overlain by Mandel'shtam A, a respectable crater in its own right. Mandel'shtam N lies on the interior along the south-southwestern inner edge. The northwestern floor and to a lesser degree the southeast floor are relatively level, and have suffered less impact damage than elsewhere.
A small crater to the east has a small ray system
Ray system
A ray system comprises radial streaks of fine ejecta thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking a bit like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays can extend for lengths up to several times the diameter of their originating crater, and are often accompanied by...
with several faint, streaky rays overlaying the floor of Mandel'shtam.
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 Mandel'shtam.| Mandel'shtam | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 5.7° N | 162.4° E | 64 km |
| F | 5.2° N | 166.2° E | 17 km |
| G | 4.5° N | 166.4° E | 29 km |
| N | 3.3° N | 161.6° E | 25 km |
| Q | 2.4° N | 158.8° E | 20 km |
| R | 4.5° N | 159.8° E | 57 km |
| T | 5.7° N | 160.4° E | 37 km |
| Y | 9.1° N | 161.8° E | 32 km |