 MESSENGER image | |
| Planet | Mercury |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 81°06′N 101°12′W / 81.1°N 101.2°W |
| Quadrangle | Borealis |
| Diameter | 47.05 km (29.24 mi) |
| Eponym | Josquin des Prez |
Oblique view of the crater's interior, illuminated by reflected light off the north wall
Despréz is a crater on Mercury with a diameter of 47.05 kilometers.[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1979. Despréz is named for the French composer Josquin des Prez, who lived from 1440 to 1521.[2]
Despréz has a region of permanent shadow along its southern rim, which has a bright radar signature. This is interpreted to represent a deposit of water ice.[3][4]
Radar-bright deposits near the north pole. Despréz is at far left.
References
- ↑ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN 0-7503-0620-3.
- ↑ "Desprez". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ↑ PIA19411: Water Ice on Mercury, NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
- ↑ John K. Harmon, Martin A. Slade, Melissa S. Rice, 2011. Radar imagery of Mercury’s putative polar ice: 1999–2005 Arecibo results. Icarus, 211, p37-50. doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.007
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