McKellar (crater)
Encyclopedia
McKellar is a lunar
impact crater
on the Moon
's far side, and it cannot be viewed directly from the Earth
. It lies to the southwest of the crater Crookes
, and the ray system
from this impact covers the floor and sides of McKellar. To the south is the slightly smaller Bok
.
This crater is somewhat eroded, with a small crater along the northwestern rim. The interior floor is relatively level except for a cluster of three ridges arrayed to the north and west of the mid-point. Just to the south of this crater is a patch of high albedo
on the surface, which is usually interpreted as an indication of a relatively fresh impact.
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...
on 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...
's far side, and it cannot be viewed directly from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It lies to the southwest of the crater Crookes
Crookes (crater)
Crookes is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side as seen from the Earth. It lies just to the southwest of the giant crater Korolev. To the southwest of Crookes is McKellar....
, and the 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...
from this impact covers the floor and sides of McKellar. To the south is the slightly smaller Bok
Bok (lunar crater)
Bok is a lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. To the southeast is the crater Sniadecki; to the north is McKellar, and further to the west is De Vries....
.
This crater is somewhat eroded, with a small crater along the northwestern rim. The interior floor is relatively level except for a cluster of three ridges arrayed to the north and west of the mid-point. Just to the south of this crater is a patch of 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...
on the surface, which is usually interpreted as an indication of a relatively fresh impact.
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 McKellar.| McKellar | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 13.1° S | 169.1° W | 16 km |
| S | 16.0° S | 173.3° W | 23 km |
| T | 15.1° S | 173.0° W | 45 km |
| U | 13.9° S | 174.5° W | 37 km |