Pickering (lunar crater)

Pickering
Oblique Apollo 16 image
Coordinates 2°54′S 7°00′E / 2.9°S 7.0°E / -2.9; 7.0Coordinates: 2°54′S 7°00′E / 2.9°S 7.0°E / -2.9; 7.0
Diameter 15 km
Depth 2.7 km
Colongitude 353° at sunrise
Eponym Edward C. Pickering
William H. Pickering
Lunar Orbiter 4 image

Pickering is a small lunar impact crater located to the northeast of the worn walled plain Hipparchus in the central region of the Moon, they are named after American astronomers Edward Charles and William Henry Pickering. It lies more than 25 km northeast of the crater Horrocks, which lies within Hipparchus. To the southeast is the lava-flooded Saunder and to the northeast is Lade.

Pickering is a bowl-shaped formation with a circular rim that has received little wear. It has a ray system that extends for about 160 kilometers.

Naming

In 1935, two craters were named after the brothers: the crater now named Pickering was named E. Pickering after Edward Charles, and a satellite crater to the east now known as Messier A was named W. Pickering after William Henry (though the latter was never officially sanctioned by the IAU). In 1964, the crater E. Pickering was given its current name Pickering to honor both related astronomers; the other crater (formerly 'W. Pickering') was given the name Messier A.

Satellite craters

Pickering crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Pickering. Pickering A and C are nearly north and Pickering B are to the northeast.

Pickering Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 1.5° S 7.1° E 5 km
B 2.1° S 7.4° E 6 km
C 1.5° S 6.1° E 4 km

References

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  • 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.
  • 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.
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