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Schrödinger (crater)
Encyclopedia
Schrödinger is a huge lunar
impact crater
of the form traditionally called a walled plain and is named after Erwin Schrödinger
. It is located near the south lunar pole on the far side of the Moon
, and can only be viewed from orbit
. The smaller crater Ganswindt
is attached to the southwestern rim of Schrödinger, and intrudes slightly into the inner wall. Adjacent to the South is the crater Nefed'ev
. Farther to the southwest is the crater Amundsen
.
Schrödinger possesses a wide outer rim that has been slightly rounded due to subsequent impacts. But the rim remains well-defined, and traces of terraces can be seen along the inner surface. The ejecta on the exterior forms an irregular outer rampart that extends for up to 100 kilometers.
The Schrödinger impact basin is one of a few locations on the Moon that show evidence of geologically recent volcanic activity. A geological study of the basin shows evidence of lava flows and eruptions from vents. There is also older volcanic material and material scattered because of impacts.
Within the interior is a second ring approximately half the diameter of the outer rim. This forms a circular range of rugged mountains that surrounds the center, with the exception of a wide gap in the south. The remainder of the floor has been resurfaced by subsequent lava
flows, producing a relatively flat surface particularly within the inner ring. The exception is an area of rough ground in the southeast part of the interior.
A complex of rille
s has formed across the floor, forming multiple clefts particularly in the south. The floor has also been marked by subsequent impacts, leaving tiny craterlets scattered across the surface. There is no central peak at the mid-point of the interior.
There is a long, narrow valley leading directly away from Schrödinger to the northwest, designated Vallis Schrödinger
. This formation begins some distance from the outer rim of the crater, at the edge of the ejecta that surrounds the perimeter. It extends to the rim of the crater Moulton
. Another similar valley designated Vallis Planck
radiates to the north, beginning near the crater Grotrian
at the periphery of the Schrödinger ejecta, and extending past Fechner
.
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...
of the form traditionally called a walled plain and is named after Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist and theoretical biologist who was one of the fathers of quantum mechanics, and is famed for a number of important contributions to physics, especially the Schrödinger equation, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933...
. It is located near the south lunar pole 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...
, and can only be viewed from orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
. The smaller crater Ganswindt
Ganswindt (crater)
Ganswindt is a lunar crater that lies near the southern pole of the Moon's far side. It is attached to the southwestern exterior of the huge walled plain Schrödinger. Ganswindt partly overlies the smaller crater Idel'son to the south....
is attached to the southwestern rim of Schrödinger, and intrudes slightly into the inner wall. Adjacent to the South is the crater Nefed'ev
Nefed'ev (crater)
Nefed'ev is a lunar impact crater located on the lunar far side near the southern pole. The crater is located directly adjacent to the Schrödinger crater and East of craters Ganswindt and Idel'son. Nefed'ev was adopted and named after Russian astronomer Anatoly Nefed'ev by the IAU in 2009.-External...
. Farther to the southwest is the crater Amundsen
Amundsen (crater)
Amundsen is a large lunar impact crater located near the south pole of the Moon, named after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. It lies along the southern lunar limb, and so is viewed from the side by an observer on the Earth. To the northwest is the crater Scott, a formation of similar...
.
Schrödinger possesses a wide outer rim that has been slightly rounded due to subsequent impacts. But the rim remains well-defined, and traces of terraces can be seen along the inner surface. The ejecta on the exterior forms an irregular outer rampart that extends for up to 100 kilometers.
The Schrödinger impact basin is one of a few locations on the Moon that show evidence of geologically recent volcanic activity. A geological study of the basin shows evidence of lava flows and eruptions from vents. There is also older volcanic material and material scattered because of impacts.
Within the interior is a second ring approximately half the diameter of the outer rim. This forms a circular range of rugged mountains that surrounds the center, with the exception of a wide gap in the south. The remainder of the floor has been resurfaced by subsequent lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
flows, producing a relatively flat surface particularly within the inner ring. The exception is an area of rough ground in the southeast part of the interior.
A complex of rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
s has formed across the floor, forming multiple clefts particularly in the south. The floor has also been marked by subsequent impacts, leaving tiny craterlets scattered across the surface. There is no central peak at the mid-point of the interior.
There is a long, narrow valley leading directly away from Schrödinger to the northwest, designated Vallis Schrödinger
Vallis Schrödinger
Vallis Schrödinger is a long, nearly linear valley that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin and most likely was formed during the original impact that created Schrödinger....
. This formation begins some distance from the outer rim of the crater, at the edge of the ejecta that surrounds the perimeter. It extends to the rim of the crater Moulton
Moulton (crater)
Moulton is a crater on the Moon's far side, just beyond the south-southwestern limb as seen from the Earth. The crater is attached to the southern edge of Chamberlin, and it lies at the northern terminus of the Vallis Schrödinger valley. There is a cleft in the shared rim between Chamberlin and...
. Another similar valley designated Vallis Planck
Vallis Planck
Vallis Planck is a long, linear valley located on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin, and was most likely formed by that impact...
radiates to the north, beginning near the crater Grotrian
Grotrian (crater)
Grotrian is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the north of the huge walled plain Schrödinger, within the radius of that formation's outer blanket of ejecta...
at the periphery of the Schrödinger ejecta, and extending past Fechner
Fechner (crater)
Fechner is a lunar crater that lies on the far side of the Moon's southern hemisphere, attached to the western rim of the large walled plain Planck. The eastern rim of Fechner intersects the Vallis Planck, a long, wide cleft in the surface that follows a course to the north-northwest...
.
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 Schrödinger.| Schrödinger | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 68.4° S | 141.3° E | 25 km |
| G | 75.4° S | 137.2° E | 8 km |
| J | 78.4° S | 154.6° E | 16 km |
| W | 68.5° S | 115.6° E | 12 km |