Michelson (crater)

Michelson is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the northeastern outer rim of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, and to the southwest of the crater Kolhörster.

Michelson

LRO WAC image
Coordinates	7°12′N 120°42′W / 7.2°N 120.7°W / 7.2; -120.7
Diameter	123 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	121° at sunrise
Eponym	Albert A. Michelson

A view of Michelson from Lunar Orbiter 5, facing west

This is a heavily eroded crater formation with multiple impacts along the rim edge and within the interior. The rim is roughly circular, but has been rendered relatively uneven due to these smaller craters. There are small craters across the interior floor, including impacts along the north, west and southeastern edges.

To the southeast of the outer rim is a crater chain that has been designated Catena Michelson. This feature is radial to the Mare Orientale impact basin, and passes near the outer rim of the crater Grachev.

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 Michelson.

Michelson	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
G	5.7° N	118.8° W	27 km
H	4.6° N	116.8° W	35 km
V	8.0° N	124.4° W	20 km
W	7.5° N	121.3° W	25 km

See also

• Catena Michelson

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. 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. 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.