Jackson (crater)
Encyclopedia
Jackson is a prominent lunar
impact crater
that is located in the northern hemisphere
on the far side of the Moon
. Less than one crater to the northeast is the crater Mineur
, and to the south-southwest lies McMath
.
This crater lies at the center of a large ray system
. A skirt of higher-albedo
material covers the surface within one crater diameter, with a slightly darker band along the outer ramparts. Beyond that radius, the rays form wide sections that grow increasingly diffuse and wispy with distance. The largest sections lie in roughly 90° arcs to the northeast and southwest, while a narrower arc projects to the south-southeast. The rays continue for hundreds of kilometers across the surface.
The rim of the crater is well-defined and not significantly worn. The edge is somewhat polygon
al in shape, with the southeastern rim being more rounded. The inner walls display some terracing. The interior floor is generally level with some irregularities in the northeastern part. Parts of the floor have a relatively high albedo
.
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 in the northern hemisphere
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
on the far side 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...
. Less than one crater to the northeast is the crater Mineur
Mineur (crater)
Mineur is a lunar crater that lies just to the northeast of the prominent crater Jackson on the far side of the Moon. Jackson lies at the center of a broad ray system, a portion of which covers Mineur. The closest other crater of note is Cockcroft to the north....
, and to the south-southwest lies McMath
McMath (crater)
McMath is an impact crater on the Moon's far side. It lies to the south-southwest of the prominent crater Jackson, and material from the ray system centered on Jackson lies across most of McMath. Farther to the south lies the crater pair of Zhukovskiy and Lebedinskiy.This is a worn,torn up, and...
.
This crater lies at the center of a large ray system
Ray system
A ray system comprises radial streaks of fine ejecta thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking a bit like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays can extend for lengths up to several times the diameter of their originating crater, and are often accompanied by...
. A skirt of higher-albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
material covers the surface within one crater diameter, with a slightly darker band along the outer ramparts. Beyond that radius, the rays form wide sections that grow increasingly diffuse and wispy with distance. The largest sections lie in roughly 90° arcs to the northeast and southwest, while a narrower arc projects to the south-southeast. The rays continue for hundreds of kilometers across the surface.
The rim of the crater is well-defined and not significantly worn. The edge is somewhat polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
al in shape, with the southeastern rim being more rounded. The inner walls display some terracing. The interior floor is generally level with some irregularities in the northeastern part. Parts of the floor have a relatively high albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
.
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 Jackson.| Jackson | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q | 21.1° N | 164.7° W | 13 km |
| X | 25.2° N | 164.3° W | 17 km |