Picard (crater)
Crater on the Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Picard is a lunar impact crater that lies in Mare Crisium. The crater is named for 17th century French astronomer and geodesist Jean Picard.[3] It is the biggest non-flooded crater of this mare,[4] being slightly larger than Peirce to the north-northwest. To the west is the almost completely flooded crater Yerkes. To east of Picard is the tiny Curtis.
Apollo 17 Mapping camera image | |
| Coordinates | 14.57°N 54.72°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 22.35 km (13.89 mi) |
| Depth | 2.4 km[1] |
| Colongitude | 306° at sunrise |
| Formation | Eratosthenian[2] |
| Eponym | Jean-Félix Picard |
Picard is a crater from the Eratosthenian period, which lasted from 3.2 to 1.1 billion years ago.[2] The roughly circular rim of Picard is well-defined and shows little sign of wear, having a sharp-edged appearance. On the inner wall are a series of layered terraces that seismologists have attributed to a collapse of the crater floor. It has a cluster of low hills at the bottom.[5]
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 Picard.[6]
| Picard | Coordinates | Diameter |
|---|---|---|
| K | 9.73°N 54.56°E | 9 km |
| L | 10.32°N 54.31°E | 7 km |
| M | 10.21°N 53.95°E | 8 km |
| N | 10.52°N 53.57°E | 19 km |
| P | 8.82°N 53.62°E | 8 km |
| Y | 13.18°N 60.27°E | 4 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.[7]
- Picard G — see Tebbutt.
- Picard H — see Shapley.
- Picard X — see Fahrenheit.
- Picard Z — see Curtis.
Gallery
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Oblique Apollo 15 Panoramic Camera image, facing south
