Petronius (crater)
Petronius is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 36 kilometres (22 miles). Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on the August 6, 2012. Petronius is named for the Roman author Petronius.[1][2]
Two views of the interior of Petronius crater. These long-exposure images show a star-shaped central peak whose summit is illuminated by sunlight.
 MESSENGER WAC | |
| Planet | Mercury |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 86.06°N 40.51°W |
| Quadrangle | Borealis |
| Diameter | 36 km (22 mi) |
| Eponym | Petronius |
Petronius has a region of permanent shadow on much of its floor, which has a bright radar signature. This is interpreted to represent a deposit of water ice.[3][4]
Radar-bright deposits near the north pole. Petronius is left of center.
References
- "Petronius". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- Jason Major (14 August 2012). ""The Hobbit" Author Gets a Crater on Mercury". Universe Today. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- PIA19411: Water Ice on Mercury, NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
- John K. Harmon, Martin A. Slade, Melissa S. Rice, 2011. Radar imagery of Mercury’s putative polar ice: 1999–2005 Arecibo results. Icarus, 211, p37-50. doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.007
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