Kapteyn (crater)

Kapteyn

Apollo 15 Mapping Camera image
Coordinates	10°47′S 70°35′E / 10.79°S 70.59°E / -10.79; 70.59
Diameter	48.65 km (30.23 mi)[1]
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	290° at sunrise
Eponym	Jacobus C. Kapteyn

Oblique view from Apollo 8, facing south

Kapteyn is a lunar impact crater that is near the eastern limb of the Moon, to the west of the crater La Pérouse. West of Kapteyn is the slightly smaller Barkla, and farther to the west-northwest is the prominent Langrenus. Von Behring is to the north-northeast.

This crater is circular in shape, although it appears oval when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening. The rim is only slightly worn, with no craters of note along the edge or the inner walls. There is a shelf along the eastern inner wall. At the midpoint of the interior floor is a central peak.

This crater is named after Dutch astronomer Jacobus C. Kapteyn (1851–1922).^[2] Its designation was officially adopted by the IAU in 1964.^[1]

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 Kapteyn.

Kapteyn	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	14.2° S	71.3° E	31 km
B	15.6° S	71.0° E	39 km
C	13.3° S	70.2° E	48 km
D	14.5° S	70.6° E	12 km
E	8.8° S	69.3° E	31 km
F	14.5° S	70.3° E	9 km
K	13.1° S	71.9° E	8 km
Z	11.2° S	72.5° E	6 km

References

1. "Kapteyn". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
2. 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. See p. 184.

Sources

• 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. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
• 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.