Byrd (lunar crater)
Crater on the Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Byrd is an irregular lunar impact crater that is located near the north pole of the Moon.[2] The north rim of Byrd is nearly connected to the crater Peary, a formation that is adjacent to the pole. The smaller crater Gioia is attached to the remains of the southwest rim.[3]
Lunar Orbiter 4 image of Byrd (center) with Gioia at bottom | |
| Coordinates | 85.43°N 10.07°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 97.49 km (60.58 mi)[1] |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 10° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Richard E. Byrd |
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Based on its impact record, this crater dates to 3.88 Ga ago.[4] The rim of Byrd is worn and eroded, with sections distorted by intruding crater rims along the perimeter. As a result, the crater interior is longer in the north–south direction than it is wide. There is a gap in the western rim, and the southern rim is now little more than a low ridge on the surface.[5]: 1
Some time after the original impact the crater interior was covered in lava flows, leaving a nearly flat surface that is marked only by tiny craterlets. These impacts include craters dating from the Mare Orientale impact.[4] There is no central peak at the midpoint of the interior and no ridges of significance.
This crater is named after American aviator and polar explorer Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957).[6] His name was introduced into lunar nomenclature by David W. G. Arthur and Ewen Whitaker with the Rectified Lunar Atlas (1963).[7][8] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union 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 Byrd.[9]
| Byrd[5]: 294 | Coordinates | Diameter, km |
|---|---|---|
| C | 84.35°N 28.34°E | 34 |
| D | 85.52°N 33.41°E | 24 |
