Bečvář (crater)

Bečvář (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɛtʃvaːr̝̊]) is a lunar impact crater that is located near the equator on the far side of the Moon.^[2] It lies to the northeast of the crater Necho, within that feature's ray system. To the north-northeast is the crater Gregory.^[3]

Coordinates2.9°S 124.5°E / -2.9; 124.5

Diameter66.62 km (41.40 mi)^[1]

DepthUnknown

Colongitude236° at sunrise

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Bečvář

Oblique view of Bečvář from Apollo 17, facing north. Bečvář X is at top near center, Bečvář Q is below left of center, and Bečvář J is partially visible in lower right.
Coordinates	2.9°S 124.5°E / -2.9; 124.5
Diameter	66.62 km (41.40 mi)[1]
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	236° at sunrise
Eponym	Antonín Bečvář

Close

This is a worn, eroded crater system with a few tiny craterlets lying across the floor and rim. A double-crater formation occupies the southwestern rim, with Bečvář Q forming the northwestern member of this pair. The crater Bečvář X is attached to the northern rim.^[4]: 83 This crater and its surrounding ejecta are among the lowest temperature features on the Moon, corresponding to a high albedo.^[5]

The crater was named after Czechoslovak astronomer Antonín Bečvář (1001–1965).^[6] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.^[1] The crater was known as Crater 283 prior to naming.^[7]

Bečvář lies at the center of an unnamed, highly subdued, 200-km-diameter crater which was originally discovered during the Apollo 16 mission and reported by Farouk El-Baz. The name Necho was proposed for the crater, but the name was eventually adopted for the small, bright-rayed crater along the south margin of the unnamed crater.^[8]