McLaughlin (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
McLaughlin is a lunar
crater
that is located just behind the northwestern rim on the far side of the Moon
. This portion of the surface is sometimes brought into view of the Earth
due to libration
, and the area can then be viewed from a low angle under favorable lighting conditions. McLaughlin lies to the west-southwest of the crater Galvani
. About two crater diameters due west lies Rynin
.
This is a heavily eroded crater with an irregular rim that is mark by a number of smaller impacts. The interior floor is generally level, except for a low right offset to the southeast of the mid-point, and some irregularities near the southwest and northern inner walls. The interior is marked by several 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...
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 just behind the northwestern rim 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...
. This portion of the surface is sometimes brought into view of 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...
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 the area can then be viewed from a low angle under favorable lighting conditions. McLaughlin lies to the west-southwest of the crater Galvani
Galvani (crater)
Galvani is a lunar crater that lies close to the northwestern limb of the Moon, due south of the larger walled plain Volta. It partly overlies the southeast rim of the crater Langley, which occupies half the gap between Volta and Galvani...
. About two crater diameters due west lies Rynin
Rynin (crater)
Rynin is a lunar crater that is located just behind the northwestern limb, on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the east of the larger crater Stefan, and to the southwest of Chapman....
.
This is a heavily eroded crater with an irregular rim that is mark by a number of smaller impacts. The interior floor is generally level, except for a low right offset to the southeast of the mid-point, and some irregularities near the southwest and northern inner walls. The interior is marked by several 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 McLaughlin.| McLaughlin | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 51.6° N | 92.4° W | 35 km |
| B | 50.2° N | 91.2° W | 43 km |
| C | 48.5° N | 91.9° W | 60 km |
| P | 45.0° N | 94.6° W | 34 km |
| U | 47.2° N | 97.0° W | 30 km |
| Z | 52.6° N | 92.8° W | 21 km |