Ritter (crater)
Colongitude 341° at sunrise | | |
Eponym | Carl Ritter and August Ritter |
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Ritter is a lunar impact crater located near the southwestern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis. Its diameter is 29.5 km. It was named after German geographer Carl Ritter and German astrophysicist August Ritter.[1]
It is the northwestern member of a crater pair with Sabine to the southeast. To the northwest is the crater Dionysius, and to the north-northeast are Manners and Arago. This crater is roughly circular but with an irregular outer rim. The inner walls have slumped down towards the floor. The interior is irregular with several low ridges. To the northwest of Ritter is a system of parallel rilles designated Rimae Ritter. These follow a course to the northwest. Ranger 8 flew over Ritter prior to impact in Mare Tranquilitatis.
Both Sabine and Ritter were originally believed to be
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 Ritter.
Ritter | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
B | 3.3° N | 18.9° E | 14 km |
C | 2.8° N | 18.9° E | 14 km |
D | 3.7° N | 18.8° E | 7 km |
References
- ^ "Ritter (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ISBN 978-0816510658
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. S2CID 122125855.
- ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
External links
- Ranger 8 image of Ritter
- Wood, Chuck (December 12, 2006). "How Deep is That Hole". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. - includes a couple of craters such as Ritter