Paschen (crater)
Encyclopedia
Paschen is a lunar
crater
on the far side of the Moon
. The relatively large satellite crater Paschen M partly overlies the southern rim of Paschen, and they nearly form a merged pair with only a section of irregular terrain along their common border. The smaller but well-formed crater Paschen S lies across the southwestern rim of Paschen. As a result, most of the southern rim of Paschen is now gone.
The remainder of the rim is not in much better condition. It is worn and eroded, with multiple small craterlets along the edge and inner wall. Most of the rim structure has been worn away by subsequent impacts and deposits of ejecta, and now forms a rounded dip into the curving interior. A small chain of craters cuts across the rim and inner wall to the west-northwest. There are several small craterlets in the southeastern part of the floor.
Paschen lies to the east of the larger walled plain Galois
, and to the southwest of the huge Hertzsprung
. About half a crater diameter to the northeast of Paschen is Wan-Hoo
. Farther to the north-northwest lies Sechenov
.
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...
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...
. The relatively large satellite crater Paschen M partly overlies the southern rim of Paschen, and they nearly form a merged pair with only a section of irregular terrain along their common border. The smaller but well-formed crater Paschen S lies across the southwestern rim of Paschen. As a result, most of the southern rim of Paschen is now gone.
The remainder of the rim is not in much better condition. It is worn and eroded, with multiple small craterlets along the edge and inner wall. Most of the rim structure has been worn away by subsequent impacts and deposits of ejecta, and now forms a rounded dip into the curving interior. A small chain of craters cuts across the rim and inner wall to the west-northwest. There are several small craterlets in the southeastern part of the floor.
Paschen lies to the east of the larger walled plain Galois
Galois (crater)
Galois is a large lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. Features of this class are commonly termed walled plains, due to their appearance and dimension. It is located just to the southeast of another huge walled plain, Korolev, a formation nearly double the diameter of Galois...
, and to the southwest of the huge Hertzsprung
Hertzsprung (crater)
Hertzsprung is an enormous lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, beyond the western limb. In dimension, this formation is larger than several of the lunar mare areas on the near side. It lies in the northwestern fringe of the blast radius of the Mare Orientale impact basin...
. About half a crater diameter to the northeast of Paschen is Wan-Hoo
Wan-Hoo (crater)
Wan-Hoo is a lunar crater that is located on the Moon's far side, and it cannot be seen directly from the Earth. It lies to the southwest of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, within the outer skirt of ejecta...
. Farther to the north-northwest lies Sechenov
Sechenov (crater)
Sechenov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, and to the east-southeast of the crater Timiryazev. To the south-southeast of Sechenov lies Paschen....
.
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 Paschen.| Paschen | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | 14.3° S | 135.4° W | 29 km |
| H | 16.0° S | 135.6° W | 27 km |
| K | 17.9° S | 138.9° W | 57 km |
| L | 16.4° S | 139.5° W | 38 km |
| M | 16.1° S | 140.0° W | 94 km |
| S | 14.5° S | 142.0° W | 48 km |
| U | 13.2° S | 143.0° W | 29 km |