- Davy (crater)
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Davy (crater) Coordinates 11°48′S 8°06′W / 11.8°S 8.1°WCoordinates: 11°48′S 8°06′W / 11.8°S 8.1°W Diameter 34 km Depth 1.4 km Colongitude 8° at sunrise Eponym Humphry Davy Davy is a small lunar crater that is located on the eastern edge of the Mare Nubium. It overlies the lava-flooded remains of the satellite crater Davy Y to the east, a formation which contains a crater chain designated Catena Davy. To the southeast of Davy is the prominent crater Alphonsus.
The outer rim of Davy is low, and the interior has been partly resurfaced. The perimeter is somewhat polygonal in shape, especially in the western half, and the southeast rim has been overlain by Davy A. The latter is bowl-shaped with a notch in the northern rim. The interior of Davy lacks a central peak, although there are some low central mounds and the rim of Davy Y forms a low ridge leading from the northern outer rim.
Contents
Catena Davy
This linear string of 23 tiny craters runs from the mid-point of Davy Y towards the walled basin Ptolemaeus, following a slightly curving course to the east-northeast. It is located at selenographic coordinates 11.0° S, 7.0° W, and has a diameter of 50 km.
This formation is not believed to be due to secondary cratering because it is not radial to a suitable source crater. The most likely cause is believed to be due to a single body that broke apart prior to impact due to tidal effects. High resolution images have demonstrated that the craters formed at about the same time since the ejecta from each crater does not overlay neighboring craters. However there are still some scientists who believe that this chain of craters may be volcanic in origin.
In 1974, six of the craters in the chain were given "unofficial" names for use in connection with NASA's Topophotomap 77D1S1(10). These names, listed below, were later adopted by the IAU. Their positions in the chain are not readily distinguished based on their official coordinates, but they are well identified on the topophotomap.
Crater Coordinates Diameter Name source Alan 10°54′S 6°06′W / 10.9°S 6.1°W 2.0 km Irish masculine name Delia 10°54′S 6°06′W / 10.9°S 6.1°W 2.0 km Greek feminine name Harold 10°54′S 6°00′W / 10.9°S 6.0°W 2.0 km Scandinavian masculine name Osman 11°00′S 6°12′W / 11.0°S 6.2°W 2.0 km Turkish masculine name Priscilla 10°54′S 6°12′W / 10.9°S 6.2°W 1.8 km Latin feminine name Susan 11°00′S 6°18′W / 11.0°S 6.3°W 1.0 km English feminine name Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Davy.
Davy Latitude Longitude Diameter A 12.2° S 7.7° W 15 km B 10.8° S 8.9° W 7 km C 11.2° S 7.0° W 3 km G 10.4° S 5.1° W 16 km K 10.2° S 9.5° W 3 km U 12.9° S 7.1° W 3 km Y 11.0° S 7.1° W 70 km 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. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. http://host.planet4589.org/astro/lunar/. 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.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-33500-0.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revision ed.). Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1-85233-193-3.
External links
- Topophotomap 77D1S1(10) showing location of minor named features.
- Davy from NASA / Brown.
- Lunar Orbiter map and photo of Alphonsus, shows relationship of Davy to Alphonsus and Ptolemeus.
- Moon map showing position of nearby Alphonsus.
Categories:- LQ19 quadrangle
- Impact craters on the Moon
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