Pasteur (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
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 libration
s, although not much detail can be seen.
Lying along the southern rim of Pasteur is the smaller crater Backlund
. Just to the southeast is Hilbert
, another walled plain, nearly two-thirds the diameter of Pasteur. To the southwest is the prominent crater Sklodowska
, and to the east is Meitner
.
The outer rim of Pasteur is generally irregular, with sections being heavily damaged by multiple impacts. The northern rim in particular has been nearly obliterated by overlapping impacts, and the southern rim is not in much better shape with a stretch overlain by Backlund. The southeast rim of Pasteur is nearly linear near where the ground has been modified by Hilbert. Even the western rim is heavily damaged, with overlying craters Pasteur U, Pasteur T, and Pasteur Q. (The first of these, Pasteur U, forms a merged group of overlapping craters.)
The interior is not in much better shape, with the southern half irregular from ejecta covering the surface, and several small craters lying across the floor. In the northwest part of the floor is a short chain of small, overlapping craters forming an arcing line from north to south. The satellite craters Pasteur G and Pasteur H form a pair to the east of the mid-point.
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...
belonging to the category termed a walled plain. It 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...
as seen 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...
, just beyond the eastern limb. The vicinity of this crater is occasionally brought into view from Earth 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:...
s, although not much detail can be seen.
Lying along the southern rim of Pasteur is the smaller crater 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...
. Just to the southeast is Hilbert
Hilbert (crater)
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...
, another walled plain, nearly two-thirds the diameter of Pasteur. To the southwest is the prominent crater Sklodowska
Sklodowska (lunar crater)
Sklodowska is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies just past the southeastern limb, and can sometimes be viewed from Earth under favorable conditions of libration and illumination...
, and to the east is Meitner
Meitner (lunar crater)
Meitner is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon, behind the eastern limb. It lies to the northwest of the crater Kondratyuk, and about a crater diameter to the west of Langemak....
.
The outer rim of Pasteur is generally irregular, with sections being heavily damaged by multiple impacts. The northern rim in particular has been nearly obliterated by overlapping impacts, and the southern rim is not in much better shape with a stretch overlain by Backlund. The southeast rim of Pasteur is nearly linear near where the ground has been modified by Hilbert. Even the western rim is heavily damaged, with overlying craters Pasteur U, Pasteur T, and Pasteur Q. (The first of these, Pasteur U, forms a merged group of overlapping craters.)
The interior is not in much better shape, with the southern half irregular from ejecta covering the surface, and several small craters lying across the floor. In the northwest part of the floor is a short chain of small, overlapping craters forming an arcing line from north to south. The satellite craters Pasteur G and Pasteur H form a pair to the east of the mid-point.
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 Pasteur.| Pasteur | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 7.0° S | 105.7° E | 25 km |
| B | 8.2° S | 105.8° E | 20 km |
| D | 8.8° S | 108.8° E | 36 km |
| E | 10.8° S | 108.5° E | 19 km |
| G | 11.6° S | 105.7° E | 21 km |
| H | 12.1° S | 106.4° E | 21 km |
| M | 12.2° S | 104.6° E | 10 km |
| Q | 13.6° S | 101.5° E | 24 km |
| S | 12.2° S | 102.0° E | 29 km |
| T | 11.6° S | 100.1° E | 41 km |
| U | 9.8° S | 101.5° E | 37 km |
| V | 9.0° S | 100.8° E | 22 km |
| Y | 8.0° S | 103.5° E | 52 km |
| Z | 6.8° S | 104.2° E | 15 km |