Sikorsky (crater)
Encyclopedia
Sikorsky is a crater
on the far side of the Moon
. It is situated behind the southeastern limb of the Moon
, just out of sight from the Earth
. It lies to the northwest of the huge walled plain Schrödinger
. To the northwest is the smaller crater Moulton
.
In 1967 the Lunar Orbiter 4
photographed this region in high resolution, discovering a 310-km-long gouge cutting through the middle of Sikorsky. This linear formation is radial to Schrödinger and has since been named the Vallis Schrödinger
.
This is a heavily eroded crater formation with a rim that has been worn and rounded by a long history of lesser impacts. In addition to the wide valley mentioned above, there is a lesser cleft that cuts into the eastern rim from the south-southeast. There are also small craterlets along the rim to the east, northeast, and northwest.
Discounting the valley that bisects the floor, the interior surface is relatively level and featureless, with only a few tiny craterlets to mark the surface. At nearly the exact mid-point of the floor, and intruding into the western side of the Vallis Schrödinger, is the almost perfectly bowl-shaped satellite crater Sikorsky Q.
The crater is named after Igor Sikorsky
, a Russia
n-American
aviation
pioneer.
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 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...
. It is situated behind the southeastern 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...
, just out of sight 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 northwest of the huge walled plain Schrödinger
Schrödinger (crater)
Schrödinger is a huge lunar impact crater of the form traditionally called a walled plain and is named after Erwin Schrödinger. It is located near the south lunar pole on the far side of the Moon, and can only be viewed from orbit. The smaller crater Ganswindt is attached to the southwestern rim of...
. To the northwest is the smaller crater Moulton
Moulton (crater)
Moulton is a crater on the Moon's far side, just beyond the south-southwestern limb as seen from the Earth. The crater is attached to the southern edge of Chamberlin, and it lies at the northern terminus of the Vallis Schrödinger valley. There is a cleft in the shared rim between Chamberlin and...
.
In 1967 the Lunar Orbiter 4
Lunar Orbiter 4
Lunar Orbiter 4 was designed to take advantage of the fact that the three previous Lunar Orbiters had completed the required needs for Apollo mapping and site selection...
photographed this region in high resolution, discovering a 310-km-long gouge cutting through the middle of Sikorsky. This linear formation is radial to Schrödinger and has since been named the Vallis Schrödinger
Vallis Schrödinger
Vallis Schrödinger is a long, nearly linear valley that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin and most likely was formed during the original impact that created Schrödinger....
.
This is a heavily eroded crater formation with a rim that has been worn and rounded by a long history of lesser impacts. In addition to the wide valley mentioned above, there is a lesser cleft that cuts into the eastern rim from the south-southeast. There are also small craterlets along the rim to the east, northeast, and northwest.
Discounting the valley that bisects the floor, the interior surface is relatively level and featureless, with only a few tiny craterlets to mark the surface. At nearly the exact mid-point of the floor, and intruding into the western side of the Vallis Schrödinger, is the almost perfectly bowl-shaped satellite crater Sikorsky Q.
The crater is named after Igor Sikorsky
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
, a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer.
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 Sikorsky.| Sikorsky | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q | 66.0° S | 103.1° E | 15 km |