Hansen (crater)
Encyclopedia
Hansen is a lunar
impact crater
that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon
. At this location the crater appears oval due to foreshortening, but the crater is actually nearly circular. It lies to the northeast of the larger crater Condorcet
, and to the south of the smaller Alhazen
.
The outer wall of Hansen is sharp-edged, with a slight outward bulge to the southwest. The inner wall drops downward to a shelf of slumped material, then to a slightly bowl-shaped interior. There is a central peak formation at the mid-point of the interior.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
impact crater
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...
that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. At this location the crater appears oval due to foreshortening, but the crater is actually nearly circular. It lies to the northeast of the larger crater Condorcet
Condorcet (crater)
Condorcet is a lunar crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon's near side, to the southeast of the Mare Crisium. To the northeast of Condorcet are the craters Hansen and Alhazen....
, and to the south of the smaller Alhazen
Alhazen (crater)
Alhazen is a lunar impact crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon's near side. Just to the south-southeast is the crater Hansen, and to the west is the Mare Crisium. The rim of Alhazen is nearly circular, but appears highly oblong when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening. The...
.
The outer wall of Hansen is sharp-edged, with a slight outward bulge to the southwest. The inner wall drops downward to a shelf of slumped material, then to a slightly bowl-shaped interior. There is a central peak formation at the mid-point of the interior.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Hansen.| Hansen | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 13.3° N | 74.3° E | 13 km |
| B | 14.3° N | 79.9° E | 80 km |