Clerke is a tiny lunar impact crater named after Irish astronomer Agnes Mary Clerke,[1] who played a role in bringing astronomy and astrophysics to the public in Victorian England.[2] It is located near the eastern edge of Mare Serenitatis in the midst of a rille system named the Rimae Littrow after the crater Littrow to the east. It is roughly circular and cup-shaped, with a relatively high albedo. In a valley to the southeast is the landing site of the Apollo 17 mission. Clerke was previously designated Littrow B.

Clerke
Apollo 17 image
Coordinates21°42′N 29°48′E / 21.7°N 29.8°E / 21.7; 29.8
Diameter7 km
Depth1.4 km
Colongitude330° at sunrise
EponymAgnes M. Clerke
Oblique Apollo 17 image of Clerke
Granular debris flows within Clerke

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Clerke (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ^ LROC: Clerke Crater

External links edit