Mendel (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Mendel is a large Impact crater
that lies on the far side of the Moon
. It is located in the southern fringe of the huge skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale
impact basin. To the south-southwest of Mendel is Lippmann
, an even larger crater.
This is a worn and eroded crater formation, with several small craters along the rim. The younger Mendel J is attached to the southeastern edge and shares part of the rim. The small Mendel B lies across the rim to the northeast. A pair of small craters also cross the western rim. Parts of the inner wall of Mendel display worn, terrace-like features that have become rounded. The interior floor of Mendel displays desposits and depressions that may have been formed by ejecta from the Mare Orientale formation.
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...
. It is located in the southern fringe of the huge skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale is one of the most striking large scale lunar features, resembling a target ring bull's-eye. Located on the extreme western edge of the lunar nearside, this impact basin is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective.Material from this basin was not sampled by the Apollo program...
impact basin. To the south-southwest of Mendel is Lippmann
Lippmann (crater)
Lippmann is a large lunar impact crater in the southern part of the far side of the Moon and so cannot be viewed directly from the Earth. Just to the northeast is the walled plain Mendel, only slightly smaller than Lippmann. To the south-southeast lies the crater Petzval.As with many lunar...
, an even larger crater.
This is a worn and eroded crater formation, with several small craters along the rim. The younger Mendel J is attached to the southeastern edge and shares part of the rim. The small Mendel B lies across the rim to the northeast. A pair of small craters also cross the western rim. Parts of the inner wall of Mendel display worn, terrace-like features that have become rounded. The interior floor of Mendel displays desposits and depressions that may have been formed by ejecta from the Mare Orientale formation.
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 Mendel.| Mendel | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 46.5° S | 107.7° W | 18 km |
| J | 51.6° S | 107.4° W | 58 km |
| V | 46.7° S | 116.7° W | 66 km |