Rankine (crater)
Encyclopedia
Rankine is a small lunar
impact crater
near the eastern limb of the Moon
. It lies on the southern floor of the satellite crater Maclaurin B, a 43-kilometer-diameter feature which is located to the southeast of Maclaurin
. To the east of Rankine is the crater Gilbert
, and directly to the south is von Behring
.
This is an insignificant, bowl-shaped formation with a negligible interior floor. The crater is circular and symmetrical, and the sloping interior walls are nearly featureless (although they have a slightly higher albedo
than the surrounding terrain
.) It is otherwise indistinguishable from many other comparably sized craters 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...
impact 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...
near the eastern limb 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 lies on the southern floor of the satellite crater Maclaurin B, a 43-kilometer-diameter feature which is located to the southeast of Maclaurin
Maclaurin (crater)
Maclaurin is a lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon's near side. It lies just to the southeast of the small Mare Spumans, and to the northeast of the prominent crater Langrenus. To the east-southeast is Gilbert....
. To the east of Rankine is the crater Gilbert
Gilbert (lunar crater)
Gilbert is a large lunar crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon. Due to its location this feature appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, limiting the amount of detail that can be observed...
, and directly to the south is von Behring
Von Behring (crater)
von Behring is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon. It lies within two crater diameters north-northeast of the larger Kapteyn, and is to the northwest of La Pérouse. This crater is circular and symmetrical, with an outer rim that is only lightly eroded. There...
.
This is an insignificant, bowl-shaped formation with a negligible interior floor. The crater is circular and symmetrical, and the sloping interior walls are nearly featureless (although they have a slightly higher albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
than the surrounding terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
.) It is otherwise indistinguishable from many other comparably sized craters on the Moon.