Bose (crater)

Bose

Clementine mosaic
Coordinates	53°30′S 170°00′W / 53.5°S 170.0°W / -53.5; -170.0
Diameter	92.55 km (57.51 mi)[1]
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	172° at sunrise
Formation	Early Imbrian[2]
Eponym	Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose

Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image

Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image of Bose (upper right) and Bhabha (lower left) craters

Bose is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the southern hemisphere.^[3] It lies just to the northwest of the smaller crater Bhabha, and southeast of Alder. The Bose–Bhabha pair lie in the center region of the South Pole-Aitken basin floor.^[2]

The rim of Bose dates to the Early Imbrian epoch of the lunar geologic timescale.^[2] The outer rim has become worn and the edges rounded by impacts, although the shape of the wall is still well-preserved. The small satellite crater Bose D lies across the east-northeastern rim, and a smaller craterlet has impacted on the inner southeast wall.^{[4]: 132–133}

The inner floor is level with a low central peak offset slightly to the southeast of the midpoint. The floor surface is likely basalt that is significantly covered by ejecta from nearby impacts.^[5] There are several tiny craterlets marking the interior, including three to the east of the central peak. The spectra of the central peak fits an olivine-bearing gabbroic norite mineralogy, which originated from a depth of 9.1 to 14.5 km.^[6]

The crater is named after Indian botanist and physicist Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858–1937),^[7] for his works on wireless communication.^[8] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.^[1]

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified in selenography by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Bose.^[9]

Bose[4]: 294	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	49.3° S	166.5° W	28 km
D	52.7° S	166.1° W	20 km
U	52.8° S	174.6° W	38 km

See also

• Mitra (crater)

References

1. "Bose". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
2. Iqbal, J.; et al. (2025). Geologic Mapping of the Bose and Bhabha Region Within the South Pole-Aitken Basin (PDF). 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. LPI Contributions. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
3. Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
4. Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
5. Hagerty, J. J.; et al. (June 2011). "Thorium abundances of basalt ponds in South Pole-Aitken basin: Insights into the composition and evolution of the far side lunar mantle". Journal of Geophysical Research. 116 (E6) E06001. Bibcode:2011JGRE..116.6001H. doi:10.1029/2010JE003723.
6. Cahill, J. T. S.; et al. (September 2009). "Compositional variations of the lunar crust: Results from radiative transfer modeling of central peak spectra". Journal of Geophysical Research. 114 (E9) E09001. Bibcode:2009JGRE..114.9001C. doi:10.1029/2008JE003282.
7. Menzel, D. H.; et al. (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.
8. Samuels, Gabriel (December 8, 2016). "Who is Jagadish Chandra Bose? Five things you need to know about one of the world's greatest scientists". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
9. Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.