McLaughlin is a lunar impact crater that is located just behind the northwestern rim on the far side of the Moon. This portion of the surface is sometimes brought into view of the Earth due to libration, and the area can then be viewed from a low angle under favorable lighting conditions. McLaughlin lies to the west-southwest of the crater Galvani. About two crater diameters due west lies Rynin.
 Oblique Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 47°06′N 92°54′W / 47.1°N 92.9°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 79 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 94° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Dean B. McLaughlin |
This is a heavily eroded crater with an irregular rim that is mark by a number of smaller impacts. The interior floor is generally level, except for a low right offset to the southeast of the midpoint, and some irregularities near the southwest and northern inner walls. The interior is marked by several tiny craterlets.
Satellite craters
editBy convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to McLaughlin.
| McLaughlin | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 51.6° N | 92.4° W | 35 km |
| B | 50.2° N | 91.2° W | 43 km |
| C | 48.5° N | 91.9° W | 60 km |
| P | 45.0° N | 94.6° W | 34 km |
| U | 47.2° N | 97.0° W | 30 km |
| Z | 52.6° N | 92.8° W | 21 km |
See also
edit- 2024 McLaughlin, minor planet
- McLaughlin (Martian crater)
References
edit- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. 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. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
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- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.