Alphonsus (crater): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Crater on the Moon}} |
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{{more footnotes|date=October 2012}} |
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{{Infobox Lunar crater |
{{Infobox Lunar crater |
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| image = |
| image = Alphonsus (LRO) 1.png |
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| image_size = |
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| caption = [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter|LRO]] image |
| caption = [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter|LRO]] image |
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| coordinates = {{coord|13. |
| coordinates = {{coord|13.39|S|2.85|W|globe:moon_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} |
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| diameter = |
| diameter = 110.54 km |
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| depth = 2.7 km |
| depth = 2.7 km |
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| colong = 4 |
| colong = 4 |
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| eponym = [[Alfonso X of Castile|Alfonso X]] |
| eponym = [[Alfonso X of Castile|Alfonso X]] |
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}} |
}} |
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[[File:Ptolemaeus trium area Si.jpg|thumb|The crater area in a Selenochromatic format Image (Si)|381x381px]] |
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[[ |
[[File:Ranger7 PIA02975.jpg|thumb|right|Alphonsus crater appears in the right half of this image taken by [[Ranger 7]]. ''[[NASA]] photo.'']] |
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'''Alphonsus''' is an ancient [[impact crater]] on the [[Moon]] that dates from the pre-Nectarian era.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ambrose |
'''Alphonsus''' is an ancient [[impact crater]] on the [[Moon]] that dates from the pre-Nectarian era.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ambrose |
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|first= W.A.|title=ORIGIN, DISTRIBUTION, AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY OF ASYMMETRIC SECONDARY CRATERS ASSOCIATED WITH NEARSIDE LUNAR BASINS|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/1019.pdf|work=Bureau of Economic Geology|publisher=University of Texas at Austin, TX| |
|first= W.A.|title=ORIGIN, DISTRIBUTION, AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY OF ASYMMETRIC SECONDARY CRATERS ASSOCIATED WITH NEARSIDE LUNAR BASINS|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/1019.pdf|work=Bureau of Economic Geology|publisher=University of Texas at Austin, TX|access-date=25 September 2013}}</ref> (Older sources state that it is [[Nectarian]] in age.<ref>[https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1348 The geologic history of the Moon]. [[USGS]] Professional Paper 1348. By [[Don Wilhelms|Don E. Wilhelms]], John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.</ref>) It is located on the lunar highlands on the eastern end of [[Mare Nubium]], west of the [[Imbrian Highlands]], and slightly overlaps the crater [[Ptolemaeus (lunar crater)|Ptolemaeus]] to the north. To the southwest is the smaller [[Alpetragius (crater)|Alpetragius]]. The crater name was approved by the [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]] in 1935.<ref>[http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/206 Alphonsus], Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)</ref> |
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==Description== |
== Description == |
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The surface of Alphonsus is broken and irregular along its boundary with Ptolemaeus. The outer walls are slightly distorted and possess a somewhat hexagonal form. |
The surface of Alphonsus is broken and irregular along its boundary with Ptolemaeus. The outer walls are slightly distorted and possess a somewhat hexagonal form. |
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A low ridge system of deposited ejecta bisects the crater floor, and includes the steep central peak designated Alphonsus Alpha (α). This [[pyramid]]-shaped formation rises to a height of 1.5 km above the interior surface. It is not volcanic in origin, but rather is made of [[anorthosite]] like the lunar highlands. |
A low ridge system of deposited ejecta bisects the crater floor, and includes the steep central peak designated Alphonsus Alpha (α). This [[pyramid]]-shaped formation rises to a height of 1.5 km above the interior surface. It is not volcanic in origin, but rather is made of [[anorthosite]] like the lunar highlands. |
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The floor is fractured by an elaborate system of [[rille]]s and contains |
The floor is fractured by an elaborate system of [[rille]]s and contains four or five smaller craters surrounded by a symmetric darker halo. These dark-halo craters are [[Volcanic cone|cinder cone]]-shaped and are believed by some to be [[volcanic]] in origin, although others think they were caused by impacts that excavated darker mare material from underneath the lighter lunar [[regolith]]. |
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==Exploration== |
==Exploration== |
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The [[Ranger 9]] probe impacted in Alphonsus, a short distance to the northeast of the central peak. [[Harold Urey]] said of a close-up photograph of Alphonsus: |
The [[Ranger 9]] probe impacted in Alphonsus, a short distance to the northeast of the central peak. [[Harold Urey]] said of a close-up photograph of Alphonsus: |
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{{cquote|The floor is covered with many craters of various sizes, some sharp and hence new, others less distinct and partly filled with fragmented material. The walls have fewer craters, and this probably means that slumping of the wall has filled them. Crevasses are evident, and evidence for slumping exists. The larger crater near the top is undoubtedly collisional in origin. Three craters are surrounded by dark halos and were produced by eruptions from the lunar interior. Exceptionally bright, sharp peaks can be seen on certain mountain tops.<ref>EXPLORING SPACE WITH A CAMERA, [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/section2a.htm Section 2, To The Moon and Beyond], NASA Special |
{{cquote|The floor is covered with many craters of various sizes, some sharp and hence new, others less distinct and partly filled with fragmented material. The walls have fewer craters, and this probably means that slumping of the wall has filled them. Crevasses are evident, and evidence for slumping exists. The larger crater near the top is undoubtedly collisional in origin. Three craters are surrounded by dark halos and were produced by eruptions from the lunar interior. Exceptionally bright, sharp peaks can be seen on certain mountain tops.<ref>EXPLORING SPACE WITH A CAMERA, [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/section2a.htm Section 2, To The Moon and Beyond], NASA Special Publication 168 (SP-168)</ref>}} |
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==Apollo Landing Site== |
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Alphonsus was one of the primary alternative landing sites considered for both the [[Apollo 16]] and the [[Apollo 17]] missions.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} |
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The dark-haloed craters along some of the rilles in the crater are thought to be volcanic vents, and during the [[Apollo program]] Alphonsus was considered as a possible landing site in order to possibly sample [[xenoliths]] of the lunar mantle from the vents.<ref>To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration. Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press (1993). {{ISBN|978-0816510658}} Chapter 16.</ref> It was considered for [[Apollo 16]] but the Descartes area was selected. It was one of the three final possible sites for [[Apollo 17]], together with [[Gassendi (crater)|Gassendi]] crater and the [[Taurus-Littrow]] valley, but it was considered possibly "contaminated" with younger material from the nearby [[Mare Imbrium|Imbrium basin]].<ref>To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration. Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press (1993). {{ISBN|978-0816510658}} Chapter 17.</ref> |
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==Transient lunar phenomena== |
==Transient lunar phenomena== |
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Alphonsus is one of the sites noted for [[transient lunar phenomenon|transient lunar phenomena]], as glowing red-hued clouds have been reported emanating from the crater. On October 26, 1956, the lunar [[astronomer]] [[Dinsmore Alter]] noted some blurring of the rilles on the floor of Alphonsus in the [[photographs]] he took in [[violet (color)|violet]] light. The same blurring did not occur in the [[infrared]] photographs he took at the same time. However, few professional astronomers found this evidence of [[volcanic]] activity on the Moon very convincing.<ref>Dinsmore (1957), '''69''': 158</ref> |
Alphonsus is one of the sites noted for [[transient lunar phenomenon|transient lunar phenomena]], as glowing red-hued clouds have been reported emanating from the crater. On October 26, 1956, the lunar [[astronomer]] [[Dinsmore Alter]] noted some blurring of the rilles on the floor of Alphonsus in the [[photographs]] he took in [[violet (color)|violet]] light. The same blurring did not occur in the [[infrared]] photographs he took at the same time. However, few professional astronomers found this evidence of [[volcanic]] activity on the Moon very convincing.<ref>Dinsmore (1957), '''69''': 158</ref> |
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One astronomer who was intrigued by Alter's observations was [[Nikolai Alexandrovich Kozyrev|Nikolai A. Kozyrev]], from the [[Soviet Union]]. In 1958 while Kozyrev was looking for volcanic phenomenon on the moon, he observed the formation of a mist-like cloud within Alphonsus.<ref>{{cite |
One astronomer who was intrigued by Alter's observations was [[Nikolai Alexandrovich Kozyrev|Nikolai A. Kozyrev]], from the [[Soviet Union]]. In 1958 while Kozyrev was looking for volcanic phenomenon on the moon, he observed the formation of a mist-like cloud within Alphonsus.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Oepik|first=E.J.|title=Cratering and the moon's surface|work=Armagh Observatory|date=January 1968 |publisher=Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland|hdl=2060/19690007782}}</ref> The spectrum of the area had been measured at this time, and displayed indications of [[carbon]] matter, possibly C<sub>2</sub> gas. He believed this to be the result of volcanic or related activity. However no evidence for this phenomenon has been found from lunar missions, and the emission results have never been confirmed.<ref>Dinsmore (1957), '''71''': 46</ref> |
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==Names== |
==Names== |
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Alphonsus is named after King [[Alfonso X of Castile]] (known as "Alfonso the Wise"), who had an interest in astronomy. Like many of the craters on the Moon's near side, it was given its name by [[Giovanni Battista Riccioli|Giovanni Riccioli]], whose 1651 nomenclature system has become standardized; Riccioli originally named it "Alphonsus Rex" ('King Alfonso'), but the 'Rex' was later dropped.<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p.210.</ref> Earlier lunar cartographers had given the feature different names. [[Michael van Langren]]'s 1645 map calls it "Ludovici XIV, Reg. Fran.", after [[Louis XIV of France]],<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 198.</ref> and [[Johannes Hevelius]] called it "Mons Masicytus" after [[List of Lycian place names#M|a range of mountains in Lycia]].<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 205.</ref> |
Alphonsus is named after King [[Alfonso X of Castile]] (known as "Alfonso the Wise"), who had an interest in astronomy.<ref>{{gpn|206}}</ref> Like many of the craters on the Moon's near side, it was given its name by [[Giovanni Battista Riccioli|Giovanni Riccioli]], whose 1651 nomenclature system has become standardized; Riccioli originally named it "Alphonsus Rex" ('King Alfonso'), but the 'Rex' was later dropped.<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p.210.</ref> Earlier lunar cartographers had given the feature different names. [[Michael van Langren]]'s 1645 map calls it "Ludovici XIV, Reg. Fran.", after [[Louis XIV of France]],<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 198.</ref> and [[Johannes Hevelius]] called it "Mons Masicytus" after [[List of Lycian place names#M|a range of mountains in Lycia]].<ref>Ewen A. Whitaker, ''Mapping and Naming the Moon'' (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 205.</ref> |
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==Interior craters== |
==Interior craters== |
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[[File:Alphonsus small craters AS16-P-4661 ASU.jpg|thumb|right| |
[[File:Alphonsus small craters AS16-P-4661 ASU.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Oblique view of the five small named craters: C = Chang-Ngo, R = Ravi, M = Monira, J = Jose, S = Soraya. Facing south with sun illuminating from left. North on the photo is on the bottom]][[File:1965 74994L.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Ranger 9 image showing [[rille]]s on the floor of the crater]] |
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Five tiny craters in the northeastern part of Alphonsus' interior floor have been assigned names by the [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]]. These are listed in the table below. |
Five tiny craters in the northeastern part of Alphonsus' interior floor have been assigned names by the [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]]. These are listed in the table below. |
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== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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==References== |
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{{refbegin}} |
{{refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book |
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| last2 = Whitaker |
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| first2 = E. A. |
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| |
| author-link2 = Ewen Whitaker |
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| date = 1982 |
| date = 1982 |
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| title = NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature |
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| publisher = NASA RP-1097 |
| publisher = NASA RP-1097 |
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| date = July 25, 2007 |
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| title = Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |
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| publisher = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] |
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| url = http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/ |
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| accessdate = 2007-08-05 |
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| author-link2 = Paul Spudis |
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| title = The Clementine Atlas of the Moon |
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| isbn = 978-0-936389-27-1 |
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| url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780936389271 |
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* {{cite web |
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| title = Lunar Nomenclature |
| title = Lunar Nomenclature |
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| publisher = Jonathan's Space Report |
| publisher = Jonathan's Space Report |
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* {{cite journal| last1 = Menzel| first1 = D. H.| last2 = Minnaert| first2 = M.| last3 = Levin| first3 = B.| last4 = Dollfus| first4 = A.| last5 = Bell| first5 = B.| title = Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU| doi = 10.1007/BF00171763| journal = Space Science Reviews| volume = 12| issue = 2| pages = 136–186| year = 1971| bibcode = 1971SSRv...12..136M| s2cid = 122125855}} |
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* {{cite book |
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| author-link = Patrick Moore |
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| date = 2001 |
| date = 2001 |
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| title = On the Moon |
| title = On the Moon |
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| publisher = Sterling Publishing Co |
| publisher = Sterling Publishing Co |
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| isbn = 978-0-304-35469-6 |
| isbn = 978-0-304-35469-6 |
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| url = https://archive.org/details/patrickmooreonmo00patr |
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| publisher = Cambridge University Press |
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* {{cite book |
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| first = Antonín |
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| |
| author-link = Antonín Rükl |
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| date = 1990 |
| date = 1990 |
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| title = Atlas of the Moon |
| title = Atlas of the Moon |
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| publisher = Kalmbach Books |
| publisher = Kalmbach Books |
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| isbn = 978-0-913135-17-4 |
| isbn = 978-0-913135-17-4 |
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* {{cite book |
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| date = 1962 |
| date = 1962 |
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| publisher = Dover |
| publisher = Dover |
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| isbn = 978-0-486-20917-3 |
| isbn = 978-0-486-20917-3 |
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| url = https://archive.org/details/celestialobjects00webb |
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* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |
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| first = Ewen A. |
| first = Ewen A. |
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| last = Whitaker |
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| author-link = Ewen Whitaker |
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| date = 1999 |
| date = 1999 |
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| title = Mapping and Naming the Moon |
| title = Mapping and Naming the Moon |
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| publisher = Cambridge University Press |
| publisher = Cambridge University Press |
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| isbn = 978-0-521-62248-6 |
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* {{cite book |
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| publisher = Springer |
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{{refend}} |
{{refend}} |
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|title=Micro-Topo |
|title=Micro-Topo |
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|publisher=Lunar Photo of the Day |
|publisher=Lunar Photo of the Day |
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| |
|access-date=2006-07-21 |
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| |
|url-status=dead |
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514140245/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060406 |
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|archive-date=2006-05-14 |
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}} |
}} |
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* {{cite book |
* {{cite book |
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| chapter = Rangers Bring the Moon Up Close | pages= 48 |
| chapter = Rangers Bring the Moon Up Close | pages= 48 |
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| url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/sp168.htm |
| url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/sp168.htm |
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| |
| chapter-url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/section2a.htm#46 }} |
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* {{cite journal |
* {{cite journal |
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| last = Alter | first = Dinsmore |
| last = Alter | first = Dinsmore |
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| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |
| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |
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| date=1957 | volume=69 |
| date=1957 | volume=69 |
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| issue = 407 |
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| bibcode=1957PASP...69..158A |
| bibcode=1957PASP...69..158A |
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| doi=10.1086/127036 |
| doi=10.1086/127036 |
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| pages=158 |
| pages=158 | doi-access=free |
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| ⚫ | |||
* {{cite journal |
* {{cite journal |
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| last = Alter | first = Dinsmore |
| last = Alter | first = Dinsmore |
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| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |
| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |
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| date=1959 | volume=71 |
| date=1959 | volume=71 |
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| issue = 418 |
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| bibcode=1959PASP...71...46A |
| bibcode=1959PASP...71...46A |
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| doi=10.1086/127330 |
| doi=10.1086/127330 |
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| pages=46 |
| pages=46 | doi-access= |
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}} |
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* {{cite web |
* {{cite web |
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| first = W. David | last = Compton | date = 1989 |
| first = W. David | last = Compton | date = 1989 |
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| url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4214/ch13-8.html |
| url = https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4214/ch13-8.html |
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| title = Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions |
| title = Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions |
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| publisher = NASA | |
| publisher = NASA | access-date = 2007-02-09 }} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commons category}} |
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{{Commonscat}} |
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*[https://the-moon.us/wiki/Alphonsus Alphonsus at The Moon Wiki] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109125101/http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Alphonsus |date=2015-11-09 }} |
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| ⚫ | |||
*[https://the-moon.us/wiki/Rimae_Alphonsus Rimae Alphonsus at The Moon Wiki] |
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*[http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1 Alphonsus crater mantled floor fracture], from [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter|LROC]] |
*[http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/1 Alphonsus crater mantled floor fracture], from [[Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter|LROC]] |
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*[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/bin/info.shtml?285 Lunar Orbiter map and photo of Alphonsus] |
*[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunar_orbiter/bin/info.shtml?285 Lunar Orbiter map and photo of Alphonsus] |
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===Other related articles=== |
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* {{cite web | last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = May 15, 2004 | url = http://www.lpod.org/archive/archive/2004/05/LPOD-2004-05-15.htm | title = The Golden Triad | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day | access-date = September 16, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180530165228/http://www.lpod.org/archive/archive/2004/05/LPOD-2004-05-15.htm | archive-date = May 30, 2018 | url-status = dead }} |
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* {{cite web | last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = May 21, 2004 | url = http://www.lpod.org/archive/archive/2004/05/LPOD-2004-05-21.htm | title = Volcanic Craters on the Moon | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day | access-date = September 16, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180530202019/http://www.lpod.org/archive/archive/2004/05/LPOD-2004-05-21.htm | archive-date = May 30, 2018 | url-status = dead }} |
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* {{cite web | last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = October 31, 2004 | url = http://www.lpod.org/archive/LPOD-2004-10-31.htm | title = Sunrise and Sunset on the Triade | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day | access-date = October 14, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171014150747/http://www.lpod.org/archive/LPOD-2004-10-31.htm | archive-date = October 14, 2017 | url-status = dead }} - one of three craters making up a ''Triad'' which includes Alphonsus |
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| ⚫ | * {{cite web| last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = July 10, 2006 | url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060710 | title = Craters and Papers | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614233616/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060710|archive-date=June 14, 2011}} |
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* {{cite web| last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = September 16, 2006 | url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060916 | title = Just Another Glorious Image | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614233616/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060916|archive-date=June 14, 2011}} |
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* {{cite web| last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = November 27, 2006 | url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20061127 | title = A Long Line in the Matter of Confidence | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614233616/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20061127|archive-date=June 14, 2011}} |
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*{{APOD |date=9 February 2007|title=Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus and Arzachel}} |
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* {{cite web| last = Wood | first = Chuck | date = February 13, 2007| url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20070213 | title = New Observations of a Well-Known Area | publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614233616/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20070213|archive-date=June 14, 2011}} |
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{{Craters on the Moon: A–B}} |
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{{Craters on the Moon: C-F}} |
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[[Category:Impact craters on the Moon]] |
[[Category:Impact craters on the Moon]] |
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Latest revision as of 22:31, 27 August 2024
_1.png) LRO image | |
| Coordinates | 13°23′S 2°51′W / 13.39°S 2.85°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 110.54 km |
| Depth | 2.7 km |
| Colongitude | 4° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Alfonso X |
Alphonsus is an ancient impact crater on the Moon that dates from the pre-Nectarian era.[1] (Older sources state that it is Nectarian in age.[2]) It is located on the lunar highlands on the eastern end of Mare Nubium, west of the Imbrian Highlands, and slightly overlaps the crater Ptolemaeus to the north. To the southwest is the smaller Alpetragius. The crater name was approved by the IAU in 1935.[3]
Description
[edit]The surface of Alphonsus is broken and irregular along its boundary with Ptolemaeus. The outer walls are slightly distorted and possess a somewhat hexagonal form.
A low ridge system of deposited ejecta bisects the crater floor, and includes the steep central peak designated Alphonsus Alpha (α). This pyramid-shaped formation rises to a height of 1.5 km above the interior surface. It is not volcanic in origin, but rather is made of anorthosite like the lunar highlands.
The floor is fractured by an elaborate system of rilles and contains four or five smaller craters surrounded by a symmetric darker halo. These dark-halo craters are cinder cone-shaped and are believed by some to be volcanic in origin, although others think they were caused by impacts that excavated darker mare material from underneath the lighter lunar regolith.
Exploration
[edit]The Ranger 9 probe impacted in Alphonsus, a short distance to the northeast of the central peak. Harold Urey said of a close-up photograph of Alphonsus:
The floor is covered with many craters of various sizes, some sharp and hence new, others less distinct and partly filled with fragmented material. The walls have fewer craters, and this probably means that slumping of the wall has filled them. Crevasses are evident, and evidence for slumping exists. The larger crater near the top is undoubtedly collisional in origin. Three craters are surrounded by dark halos and were produced by eruptions from the lunar interior. Exceptionally bright, sharp peaks can be seen on certain mountain tops.[4]
Apollo Landing Site
[edit]The dark-haloed craters along some of the rilles in the crater are thought to be volcanic vents, and during the Apollo program Alphonsus was considered as a possible landing site in order to possibly sample xenoliths of the lunar mantle from the vents.[5] It was considered for Apollo 16 but the Descartes area was selected. It was one of the three final possible sites for Apollo 17, together with Gassendi crater and the Taurus-Littrow valley, but it was considered possibly "contaminated" with younger material from the nearby Imbrium basin.[6]
Transient lunar phenomena
[edit]Alphonsus is one of the sites noted for transient lunar phenomena, as glowing red-hued clouds have been reported emanating from the crater. On October 26, 1956, the lunar astronomer Dinsmore Alter noted some blurring of the rilles on the floor of Alphonsus in the photographs he took in violet light. The same blurring did not occur in the infrared photographs he took at the same time. However, few professional astronomers found this evidence of volcanic activity on the Moon very convincing.[7]
One astronomer who was intrigued by Alter's observations was Nikolai A. Kozyrev, from the Soviet Union. In 1958 while Kozyrev was looking for volcanic phenomenon on the moon, he observed the formation of a mist-like cloud within Alphonsus.[8] The spectrum of the area had been measured at this time, and displayed indications of carbon matter, possibly C2 gas. He believed this to be the result of volcanic or related activity. However no evidence for this phenomenon has been found from lunar missions, and the emission results have never been confirmed.[9]
Names
[edit]Alphonsus is named after King Alfonso X of Castile (known as "Alfonso the Wise"), who had an interest in astronomy.[10] Like many of the craters on the Moon's near side, it was given its name by Giovanni Riccioli, whose 1651 nomenclature system has become standardized; Riccioli originally named it "Alphonsus Rex" ('King Alfonso'), but the 'Rex' was later dropped.[11] Earlier lunar cartographers had given the feature different names. Michael van Langren's 1645 map calls it "Ludovici XIV, Reg. Fran.", after Louis XIV of France,[12] and Johannes Hevelius called it "Mons Masicytus" after a range of mountains in Lycia.[13]
Interior craters
[edit]
Five tiny craters in the northeastern part of Alphonsus' interior floor have been assigned names by the IAU. These are listed in the table below.
| Crater | Coordinates | Diameter | Name source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chang-Ngo | 12°42′S 2°06′W / 12.7°S 2.1°W | 3 km | Chinese goddess of the moon |
| José | 12°42′S 1°36′W / 12.7°S 1.6°W | 2 km | Spanish masculine name |
| Monira | 12°36′S 1°42′W / 12.6°S 1.7°W | 2 km | Arabic feminine name |
| Ravi | 12°30′S 1°54′W / 12.5°S 1.9°W | 2.5 km | Indian masculine name |
| Soraya | 12°54′S 1°36′W / 12.9°S 1.6°W | 2 km | Persian feminine name |
Satellite craters
[edit]
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Alphonsus.
| Alphonsus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 14.8° S | 2.3° W | 4 km |
| B | 13.2° S | 0.2° W | 24 km |
| C | 14.4° S | 4.8° W | 4 km |
| D | 15.1° S | 0.8° W | 23 km |
| G | 12.3° S | 3.3° W | 4 km |
| H | 15.6° S | 0.5° W | 8 km |
| J | 15.1° S | 2.5° W | 8 km |
| K | 12.5° S | 0.1° W | 20 km |
| L | 12.0° S | 3.7° W | 4 km |
| R | 14.4° S | 1.9° W | 3 km |
| X | 15.0° S | 4.4° W | 5 km |
| Y | 14.7° S | 1.8° W | 3 km |
References
[edit]- ^ Ambrose, W.A. "ORIGIN, DISTRIBUTION, AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY OF ASYMMETRIC SECONDARY CRATERS ASSOCIATED WITH NEARSIDE LUNAR BASINS" (PDF). Bureau of Economic Geology. University of Texas at Austin, TX. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.
- ^ Alphonsus, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
- ^ EXPLORING SPACE WITH A CAMERA, Section 2, To The Moon and Beyond, NASA Special Publication 168 (SP-168)
- ^ To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration. Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press (1993). ISBN 978-0816510658 Chapter 16.
- ^ To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration. Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press (1993). ISBN 978-0816510658 Chapter 17.
- ^ Dinsmore (1957), 69: 158
- ^ Oepik, E.J. (January 1968). "Cratering and the moon's surface". Armagh Observatory. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland. hdl:2060/19690007782.
- ^ Dinsmore (1957), 71: 46
- ^ "Alphonsus (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ^ Ewen A. Whitaker, Mapping and Naming the Moon (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p.210.
- ^ Ewen A. Whitaker, Mapping and Naming the Moon (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 198.
- ^ Ewen A. Whitaker, Mapping and Naming the Moon (Cambridge University Press, 1999), p. 205.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- 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.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- 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.
Further reading
[edit]- Wood, Chuck (2005-04-06). "Micro-Topo". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on 2006-05-14. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- Cortright, Edgar M. (1968). "Rangers Bring the Moon Up Close". SP-168 Exploring Space with a Camera. NASA Langley Research Center. p. 48.
- Alter, Dinsmore (1957). "A Suspected Partial Obscuration of the Floor of Alphonsus". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 69 (407): 158. Bibcode:1957PASP...69..158A. doi:10.1086/127036.
- Alter, Dinsmore (1959). "The Kozyrev Observations of Alphonsus". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 71 (418): 46. Bibcode:1959PASP...71...46A. doi:10.1086/127330.
- Compton, W. David (1989). "Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions". NASA. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alphonsus (crater).
- Alphonsus at The Moon Wiki Archived 2015-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Rimae Alphonsus at The Moon Wiki
- Alphonsus crater mantled floor fracture, from LROC
- Lunar Orbiter map and photo of Alphonsus
Other related articles
[edit]- Wood, Chuck (May 15, 2004). "The Golden Triad". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- Wood, Chuck (May 21, 2004). "Volcanic Craters on the Moon". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
- Wood, Chuck (October 31, 2004). "Sunrise and Sunset on the Triade". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017. - one of three craters making up a Triad which includes Alphonsus
- Wood, Chuck (July 10, 2006). "Craters and Papers". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
- Wood, Chuck (September 16, 2006). "Just Another Glorious Image". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
- Wood, Chuck (November 27, 2006). "A Long Line in the Matter of Confidence". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus and Arzachel (9 February 2007)
- Wood, Chuck (February 13, 2007). "New Observations of a Well-Known Area". Lunar Photo of the Day. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
