Slipher (lunar crater)

Slipher is a lunar impact crater, that is located in the northern latitudes on the far side of the Moon.^[1] The crater overlies the southwestern outer rim of the much larger walled plain D'Alembert, and it occupies a portion of the interior floor of D'Alembert. To the south-southeast is the crater Langevin.

Coordinates49.28°N 160.27°E / 49.28; 160.27

Diameter74.65 km (46.39 mi)

DepthUnknown

Colongitude200° at sunrise

Quick facts Coordinates, Diameter ...

Slipher

LRO image. Arrow indicates the location of the scarp pictured below.
Coordinates	49.28°N 160.27°E / 49.28; 160.27
Diameter	74.65 km (46.39 mi)
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	200° at sunrise
Eponym	Earl Slipher Vesto Slipher

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This formation dates to the Late Imbrian epoch of the lunar geologic timescale.^[2] Because it overlies D'Alembert, Slipher is a younger formation and it has undergone much less erosion. The rim is circular but has a somewhat irregular edge. The rim is jumbled and irregular where it intersects D'Alembert. Overlapping the western rim and inner walls of Slipher is the smaller Slipher S, a fresh feature with a sharp-edged outer rim. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the east wall.^[3] The interior floor of Slipher is somewhat uneven except in the northeast, and there is a cluster of low central ridges near the midpoint.

A distinct lobate scarp, located near the south wall of the crater, was imaged by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The scarp is a result of the cooling of the moon and resulting compression of the surface.^[4]

The crater was formally named by the IAU in 1970 after American astronomers Earl Slipher and Vesto Slipher.^[5]