Sharp (crater)
 LRO image | |
| Coordinates | 45°42′N 40°12′W / 45.7°N 40.2°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 40 km |
| Depth | 3.2 km |
| Colongitude | 40° at sunrise |
| Formation | Upper Imbrian |
| Eponym | Abraham Sharp |
Sharp is a lunar impact crater located to the west of the Sinus Iridum bay of the Mare Imbrium, beyond the Montes Jura range. To the southwest is the crater Mairan. Because of its location and foreshortening, Sharp appears elliptical from the earth.
Sharp is surrounded by a rugged region of mountains and rises. Ridges are joined to the north and south ends of the rim. The crater has a low central peak at the midpoint of the floor. Between Sharp and Sharp A is an unnamed sinuous rille. The more distant Rima Sharp is located on the Mare Frigoris to the northwest.
Sharp is a crater of Upper (Late) Imbrian age.
Sharp during full moon
Sharp is somewhat difficult to locate during full moon. Bright satellite craters Sharp A and Sharp B, both northwest of Sharp itself, are eye catchers near the border of the most western section of Mare Frigoris. The brightness of both Sharp A and Sharp B was captured on the photographic version of chart LAC 23 (page 46) in The Clementine Atlas of the Moon (Ben Bussey / Paul D. Spudis). Satellite crater Sharp B was called Aymat by Hugh Percy Wilkins and Patrick Moore. This name is still seen on the Swiss Hallwag moonmap created by Hans Schwarzenbach.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Sharp.
| Sharp | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 47.6° N | 42.6° W | 17 km |
| B | 47.0° N | 45.3° W | 21 km |
| D | 44.8° N | 42.1° W | 8 km |
| J | 46.9° N | 37.9° W | 6 km |
| K | 47.4° N | 38.5° W | 5 km |
| L | 45.8° N | 38.2° W | 6 km |
| M | 47.3° N | 41.4° W | 4 km |
| U | 47.4° N | 48.6° W | 6 km |
| V | 46.2° N | 46.9° W | 7 km |
| W | 50.2° N | 45.3° W | 4 km |
References
- 1 2 Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 231. doi:10.3133/pp1348.
Sources
- 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. 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.
- 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. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. 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.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - 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.