Chaplygin (crater)

Chaplygin is a large lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of the huge walled plain Mendeleev, about midway between the craters Schliemann to the northeast and Marconi to the southwest. It is about the same size as Albategnius on the near side.

Chaplygin
Lunar Orbiter 1 image
Coordinates5.76°S 150.24°E / -5.76; 150.24
Diameter123 km
DepthUnknown
Colongitude212° at sunrise
EponymSergey Chaplygin
Oblique photo of Chaplygin from Apollo 11, facing south
Oblique photo of a small, young crater Chaplygin B (Chappy) with a bright ray system on the north edge of Chaplygin, from Apollo 11, facing south
Oblique photo of Chaplygin from Apollo 13, facing south
Highly oblique photo of Chaplygin from Apollo 16, facing south

The rim of this crater is roughly circular; however, the edge is uneven. The inner wall is terraced around much of the circumference, and this structure is somewhat disrupted along the southern side. The rim is only mildly eroded, with few craters around the edge — the exception being Chaplygin K which is intruding into the inner wall along the southeast side. Within the walls is an interior plain that is level and smooth in comparison to the rugged terrain that surrounds the exterior of the crater. There is a central peak near the midpoint, and a few tiny craters lie scattered across the surface.

Chaplygin is one of the largest craters of Nectarian age.[1]

The crater was named after Soviet mathematician and engineer Sergey Chaplygin by the IAU in 1970.[2] The crater was known as Crater 297 prior to naming.[3]

A small, bright crater on the northeastern rim is called Chaplygin B. It is nicknamed Chappy by the LROC team.[4][5]

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Chaplygin.

Chaplygin Coordinates Diameter, km
B 4.08°S 151.69°E / -4.08; 151.69 (Chaplygin B) 1.5
K 7.68°S 151.36°E / -7.68; 151.36 (Chaplygin K) 20
Q 7.64°S 147.91°E / -7.64; 147.91 (Chaplygin Q) 13
Y 2.71°S 149.64°E / -2.71; 149.64 (Chaplygin Y) 28

References
  1. The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.
  2. Chaplygin, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
  3. Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)
  4. LROC, Chappy, Posted by Mark Robinson on March 01, 2016.
  5. LROC, Chappy Oblique, Posted by Mark Robinson on March 18, 2016.
  • Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
  • Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  • Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  • Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  • Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (2003). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-54414-6.
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