Shakespeare (lunar crater)

Shakespeare is a feature on Earth's Moon, a crater in Taurus–Littrow valley. Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt landed southwest of it in 1972, on the Apollo 17 mission. They did not visit it, but in fact drove around it during EVA 3.

For the crater on Mercury, see Shakespeare (Mercurian crater).
Shakespeare
Location of Shakespeare crater in Taurus–Littrow valley. South Massif is at lower left, North Massif is at top center, and Sculptured Hills are at upper right. Scale bar is 5 km
Coordinates20.24°N 30.82°E / 20.24; 30.82
Diameter540 m[1]
EponymAstronaut-named feature

To the south is Van Serg, to the northeast is Cochise, and to the northwest is a crater unofficially called Henry on some maps.

The crater was named by the astronauts after English playwright William Shakespeare.[1][2]

Shakespeare in foreground as viewed from Geology Station 6, some distance up the North Massif
Apollo 17 panoramic camera image

References
  1. Shakespeare, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
  2. The Valley of Taurus–Littrow, Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal, Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright 1995 by Eric M. Jones
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.