Daniell (crater)
Crater on the Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniell is a lunar impact crater located in the southern half of the Lacus Somniorum.[4] To the south-southeast is the much larger crater Posidonius. The Rimae Daniell rille system is to the west of Daniell crater,[5] and consists of a set of graben oriented along a NNW-SSE direction.[6] This feature can be resolved with a 150 mm (6 in) telescope.[7]
Daniell and two satellite craters, W and X | |
| Coordinates | 35.42°N 31.16°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 28.20 km (17.52 mi)[1] |
| Depth | 1.9 km (1.2 mi)[2] |
| Colongitude | 329° at sunrise |
| Formation | Copernican[3] |
| Eponym | John F. Daniell |
The Daniell formation dates to the Copernican period on the lunar geologic timescale.[3] The rim is oval in form, with the long axis oriented north-northwest to south-southeast. Most of the wall is well-formed and relatively free of wear, although it appears slumped at the southern end.[8] The interior lacks a central peak.[3]: 26
The floor surface has a lower albedo than the surroundings and is fractured.[9] Lunar geologist Chuck Wood speculated that the fractured floor may have been uplifted by the massive slumps on northwest and southeast rims.[10] The mineralogical composition of the floor consists of pyroxenes with pyroclastic deposits on the low albedo areas.[3]
The crater is named after British physicist, chemist, and meteorologist John F. Daniell (1790-1845).[1] His name was included in the lunar nomenclature of William R. Birt and John Lee during the 19th century.[11] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]
