.gif)
Dawes (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Dawes is a lunar impact crater
, named after William Rutter Dawes
, and which is located in the wide straight between Mare Serenitatis
and Mare Tranquilitatis. To the southwest is the larger crater Plinius
. To the northeast is the Mons Argaeus
mountain rise.
This is a circular crater with a sharp rim that has a slightly-flattened oval perimeter. It has a slight central rise, and a somewhat darker floor that is nearly covered in overlapping swirl-like deposits. Much of the deposits are slumped or fall-back material. The inner walls are steep and free from impact erosion.
Detailed examination of this crater have located what appear to be alcoves and channels along the inner rim. It is hypothesized that micrometeorite impacts along the rim trigger dry landslides, which produce a gully
-like appearance. A similar phenomenon may be responsible for gully-like features along the inner rim of some Martian
craters.
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
, named after William Rutter Dawes
William Rutter Dawes
William Rutter Dawes was an English astronomer.Dawes was born in West Sussex, the son of William Dawes, also an astronomer, who travelled to the colony of New South Wales on the First Fleet in 1788....
, and which is located in the wide straight between Mare Serenitatis
Mare Serenitatis
Mare Serenitatis is a lunar mare that sits just to the east of Mare Imbrium on the Moon.It is located within the Serenitatis basin, which is of the Nectarian epoch. The material surrounding the mare is of the Lower Imbrian epoch, while the mare material is of the Upper Imbrian epoch...
and Mare Tranquilitatis. To the southwest is the larger crater Plinius
Plinius (crater)
Plinius is a prominent lunar impact crater on the border between Mare Serenitatis to the north and Mare Tranquilitatis to the south. South-southeast of Plinius is the crater Ross, and to the northeast is Dawes. Just to the north is a system of rilles named the Rimae Plinius...
. To the northeast is the Mons Argaeus
Mons Argaeus
Mons Argaeus is a mountainous massif on the Moon that extends for a length of 50 km towards the southeast. It is located at selenographic coordinates 19.0°N, 29.0°E, in the mountainous southeastern border of the Mare Serenitatis...
mountain rise.
This is a circular crater with a sharp rim that has a slightly-flattened oval perimeter. It has a slight central rise, and a somewhat darker floor that is nearly covered in overlapping swirl-like deposits. Much of the deposits are slumped or fall-back material. The inner walls are steep and free from impact erosion.
Detailed examination of this crater have located what appear to be alcoves and channels along the inner rim. It is hypothesized that micrometeorite impacts along the rim trigger dry landslides, which produce a gully
Gully
A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width...
-like appearance. A similar phenomenon may be responsible for gully-like features along the inner rim of some Martian
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
craters.
External links
- LTO-42C3 Dawes — L&PI topographic mapTopographic mapA topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features...