Poinsot (crater)
Poinsot is a worn lunar impact crater that is located at the northern part of the Moon on the far side. It lies to the south of the walled plain Rozhdestvenskiy. To the south is the smaller crater Heymans.
 Clementine mosaic | |
| Coordinates | 79.5°N 145.7°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 68 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 146° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Louis Poinsot |
This formation has been heavily worn by subsequent impacts, leaving a round-shouldered outer rim that is nearly even with the surrounding terrain and an inner surface that slopes down to the floor without terraces or horizontal features. A number of tiny craterlets lie along the rim edge and inner walls, as well as across the level interior surface. The floor lacks a central peak at the midpoint, but has a small but notable crater lying next to the western inner wall.
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 Poinsot.
| Poinsot | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | 80.2° N | 129.8° W | 25 km |
| K | 77.6° N | 141.3° W | 16 km |
| P | 77.2° N | 149.7° W | 27 km |
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.
- 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.