Opelt (crater)
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 16°18′S 17°30′W / 16.3°S 17.5°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 48 km |
| Colongitude | 17° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Friedrich W. Opelt and Otto Moritz Opelt |
Opelt is the lava-flooded remnant of a lunar impact crater on the Mare Nubium. It lies to the north of a similar formation named Gould and to the northeast of the prominent Bullialdus.
The crater was named after the German astronomers Friedrich Wilhelm Opelt and his son Otto Moritz Opelt.[1]
Only a slightly raised outline remains of Opelt's rim, the interior having been inundated with lava. The rim has a wide break at the northern end and several smaller breaks to the south and southeast. The satellite crater Opelt E lies at the southern end of the surviving western rim. The interior floor is nearly level, with the exception of a slight rise to the southwest, which is continuous with a wrinkle ridge to the south.
To the north of Opelt on the lunar mare is a sinuous system of rilles designated Rimae Opelt. These occupy a diameter of about 70 kilometers.
Satellite craters
[edit]By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Opelt.
| Opelt | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 17.0° S | 17.8° W | 8 km |
| F | 18.1° S | 18.7° W | 4 km |
| G | 16.8° S | 17.2° W | 4 km |
| H | 15.8° S | 17.3° W | 3 km |
| K | 13.6° S | 17.1° W | 5 km |
References
[edit]- ^ "Opelt". Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
External links
[edit]- Opelt at The Moon Wiki
Media related to Opelt (crater) at Wikimedia Commons
