Van Gent (crater)
Encyclopedia
Van Gent is a lunar
crater
on the far side of the Moon
that is located to the south-southeast of the larger crater Konstantinov
. About an equal distance to the east-southeast is Spencer Jones
and to the southeast is Papaleksi
.
This crater joins the satellite crater Van Gent X to the northwest to form a double crater. Van Gent also partly overlies what appears to be an older crater remnant to the southeast. This in turn is joined to Van Gent N, which is joined to Van Gent P along its southeastern side. The result is a crater chain of sorts consisting of five craters forming an arc with the concave side facing to the west.
The rim of Van Gent is slightly distorted from a circle due to the craters with which it has formed. The rim edge is somewhat worn, and a small craterlet lies along the shared rim with Van Gent X. The interior is relatively featureless, being marked only by a few tiny craterlets.
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...
that is located to the south-southeast of the larger crater Konstantinov
Konstantinov (crater)
Konstantinov is a lunar impact crater that is located to the southeast of the Mare Moscoviense, on the far side of the Moon. To the west of Konstantinov is the smaller crater Nagaoka, and to the south-southeast is the small Van Gent....
. About an equal distance to the east-southeast is Spencer Jones
Spencer Jones (crater)
Spencer Jones is a lunar impact crater on the Moon's far side. It is a roughly circular feature with a rim edge that is only moderately eroded. The inner wall of Spencer Jones is wider than elsewhere. The interior floor is relatively level with a low ridge offset to the south of the mid-point...
and to the southeast is Papaleksi
Papaleksi (crater)
Papaleksi is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the northeastern outskirts of the large crater Mandel'shtam. About 20 km to the north-northeast of Papaleksi is the similar crater Spencer Jones....
.
This crater joins the satellite crater Van Gent X to the northwest to form a double crater. Van Gent also partly overlies what appears to be an older crater remnant to the southeast. This in turn is joined to Van Gent N, which is joined to Van Gent P along its southeastern side. The result is a crater chain of sorts consisting of five craters forming an arc with the concave side facing to the west.
The rim of Van Gent is slightly distorted from a circle due to the craters with which it has formed. The rim edge is somewhat worn, and a small craterlet lies along the shared rim with Van Gent X. The interior is relatively featureless, being marked only by a few tiny craterlets.
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 Gent.| Van Gent | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| D | 16.3° N | 161.7° E | 35 km |
| N | 13.5° N | 160.0° E | 32 km |
| P | 12.6° N | 159.4° E | 47 km |
| T | 15.5° N | 157.2° E | 16 km |
| U | 17.0° N | 157.1° E | 20 km |
| X | 16.4° N | 159.7° E | 38 km |