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.
 Apollo 15 Mapping Camera image | |
| Coordinates | 1.9°S 68.0°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 50 km |
| Depth | 1.5 km |
| Colongitude | 292° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Colin Maclaurin |
The rim of this crater is perhaps unusual for the number of lesser craters attached to the exterior. Along the northern rim are the lava-flooded Maclaurin O and Maclaurin K. There are also satellite craters along the northeastern, eastern, and southern walls. The only open stretches of rim are along the western side, and a brief stretch to the southeast. The three craters along the southern rim, which include Maclaurin A and Maclaurin N, have intruded into the formation sufficiently to compress and slightly flatten that end of the crater. But overall it retains a generally circular form.
The inner walls cut down to a gently descending slope that extends toward the flattened midsection. The middle portion of the interior floor has been resurfaced, possibly by basaltic lava, leaving a lower albedo patch with a slightly darkened hue. At the midpoint of the crater interior is a low central ridge.
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 Maclaurin.
| Maclaurin | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3.0° S | 67.6° E | 29 km |
| B | 3.6° S | 71.4° E | 43 km |
| C | 1.1° S | 69.6° E | 26 km |
| D | 7.1° S | 69.9° E | 10 km |
| E | 3.5° S | 65.7° E | 20 km |
| G | 7.0° S | 66.9° E | 12 km |
| H | 1.6° S | 64.1° E | 41 km |
| J | 2.2° S | 69.4° E | 16 km |
| K | 0.9° S | 66.9° E | 34 km |
| L | 1.4° S | 71.7° E | 30 km |
| M | 4.8° S | 69.4° E | 42 km |
| N | 3.8° S | 68.4° E | 29 km |
| O | 0.3° S | 67.9° E | 37 km |
| P | 6.0° S | 69.4° E | 29 km |
| T | 1.8° S | 65.4° E | 35 km |
| U | 3.9° S | 66.2° E | 19 km |
| W | 0.5° N | 68.1° E | 21 km |
| X | 0.1° S | 68.7° E | 24 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
- Maclaurin F — See Von Behring
- Maclaurin R — See Morley
- Maclaurin S — See Hargreaves
- Maclaurin Y — See Born
References
- 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 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
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- 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.
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- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
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