 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 25°18′S 21°30′E / 25.3°S 21.5°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 44 × 31 km |
| Depth | 2.3 km |
| Colongitude | 339° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Jean-Louis Pons |
Pons is a lunar impact crater that is located to the west of the prominent Rupes Altai scarp. It was named after French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons.[1] It lies to the southeast of the crater Sacrobosco, and southwest of Polybius. To the northwest along the same flank of the formation is the crater Fermat.
The rim of Pons is somewhat elongated in shape, being longer along a northeast–southwest axis than in the perpendicular direction. The outer wall is irregular and notched, particularly at the northeastern end where it is partly overlain by the satellite crater Pons D and multiple smaller formations. The interior is uneven, with low ridges projecting from the north and southeastern rims.
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 Pons.
| Pons | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 27.3° S | 20.0° E | 12 km |
| B | 28.7° S | 20.7° E | 13 km |
| C | 27.9° S | 22.3° E | 18 km |
| D | 25.5° S | 22.1° E | 15 km |
| E | 25.8° S | 23.8° E | 18 km |
| F | 23.7° S | 21.2° E | 12 km |
| G | 28.3° S | 21.4° E | 6 km |
| H | 26.9° S | 22.3° E | 10 km |
| J | 24.9° S | 22.2° E | 5 km |
| K | 27.4° S | 22.8° E | 7 km |
| L | 27.5° S | 20.9° E | 8 km |
| M | 27.1° S | 24.1° E | 11 km |
| N | 26.0° N | 23.0° E | 6 km |
| P | 25.0° N | 23.1° E | 5 km |
References
- ↑ "Pons (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- 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.
