Van't Hoff (crater)
Encyclopedia
van't Hoff is a lunar
crater
that is located to the northeast of the walled plain Birkhoff
, on the far side of the Moon
. To the northwest is the crater Stebbins
, and to the east lies the smaller Dyson
.
This crater lies at high northern latitudes of the lunar surface, almost two-thirds the way from the equator
to the pole. The outer rim of van't Hoff is heavily eroded and the crater has become distorted in shape by subsequent impacts. The rim edge is ill-defined in the western half where the inner wall is unusually wide. This edge may have become overlain by ejecta from other impacts to the west.
Along the eastern face the crater has apparently merged with one or two other impacts, producing an outward double-bulge. There are several smaller impacts along the eastern rim, and a gouge in the surface forms a trough leading away to the northeast for nearly a crater diameter. Much of the interior floor of van't Hoff is relatively level, and is marked by some small craterlets. The most prominent of these is a small, cup-shaped crater in the southern half.
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...
that is located to the northeast of the walled plain Birkhoff
Birkhoff (crater)
Birkhoff is a giant lunar walled plain that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the northern hemisphere. This formation is an ancient impact site that has been heavily eroded, and the surface reshaped by multiple craters in the interior and along the rim. The outer wall is bordered by the...
, 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...
. To the northwest is the crater Stebbins
Stebbins (crater)
Stebbins is a large lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located along the north-northeastern rim of the even larger crater Birkhoff, with about one-third of Stebbins laid across the interior of Birkhoff...
, and to the east lies the smaller Dyson
Dyson (crater)
Dyson is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, past the northwest limb. It is located in the northern part of the surface, to the northwest of the crater Coulomb, and east of van't Hoff....
.
This crater lies at high northern latitudes of the lunar surface, almost two-thirds the way from the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
to the pole. The outer rim of van't Hoff is heavily eroded and the crater has become distorted in shape by subsequent impacts. The rim edge is ill-defined in the western half where the inner wall is unusually wide. This edge may have become overlain by ejecta from other impacts to the west.
Along the eastern face the crater has apparently merged with one or two other impacts, producing an outward double-bulge. There are several smaller impacts along the eastern rim, and a gouge in the surface forms a trough leading away to the northeast for nearly a crater diameter. Much of the interior floor of van't Hoff is relatively level, and is marked by some small craterlets. The most prominent of these is a small, cup-shaped crater in the southern half.
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 van't Hoff.| van't Hoff | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | 61.5° N | 126.2° W | 41 km |
| M | 56.8° N | 132.1° W | 36 km |
| N | 57.9° N | 132.3° W | 46 km |