Ulugh Beigh (crater)
Encyclopedia
Ulugh Beigh is the remnant of a lunar
crater
that is located just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum
. It is located near the northwestern limb of the Moon
, and from the Earth
it appears foreshortened. Farther to the west is the smaller crater Aston
, and to the north is Lavoisier
. Both these craters are roughly equidistant from Ulugh Beigh, although Aston appears much closer due to the oblique viewing angle.
The rim of this crater has been nearly worn away by impacts, leaving a disintegrated perimeter that is notched and incised by impacts. Ulugh Beigh D lies across the southern part of the floor, and a smaller crater along the western rim shares a common floor with Ulugh Beigh. The interior floor of this crater has been resurfaced by lava
, leaving a dark surface with the same albedo
as the neighboring mare. The northern part of the crater has a higher albedo than this dark surface, matching the appearance of the terrain to the west of the mare.
Ulugh Beigh A is located to the northeast of the main crater, and forms a flooded crater along the edge of the Oceanus Procellarum. This is a merged formation with a smaller crater laying across the southwest rim of the larger, and the two sharing a common dark floor.
This formation is named after the Timurid king and scientist Mīrzā Muhammad bin Shāhrukh
, popularly known as Uluğ Bey (Chaghatai: great king).
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...
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 just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum is a vast lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of the Earth's Moon. Its name derives from the old superstition that its appearance during the second quarter heralded bad weather...
. It is located near the northwestern 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...
, and 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 appears foreshortened. Farther to the west is the smaller crater Aston
Aston (crater)
Aston is a lunar impact crater that is located along the northwest limb of the Moon. Because of its location the crater is seen nearly from on edge, and visibility is subject to libration. It lies to the east of the crater Röntgen, some distance due west of Ulugh Beigh on the edge of the Oceanus...
, and to the north is Lavoisier
Lavoisier (crater)
Lavoisier is a lunar crater that is located near the northwestern limb of the Moon, at the western edge of the Oceanus Procellarum. It is located to the southwest of the crater von Braun and southeast of Bunsen. Due south of Lavoisier is the disintegrated crater Ulugh Beigh.This is a worn crater...
. Both these craters are roughly equidistant from Ulugh Beigh, although Aston appears much closer due to the oblique viewing angle.
The rim of this crater has been nearly worn away by impacts, leaving a disintegrated perimeter that is notched and incised by impacts. Ulugh Beigh D lies across the southern part of the floor, and a smaller crater along the western rim shares a common floor with Ulugh Beigh. The interior floor of this crater has been resurfaced by lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, leaving a dark surface with the same 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...
as the neighboring mare. The northern part of the crater has a higher albedo than this dark surface, matching the appearance of the terrain to the west of the mare.
Ulugh Beigh A is located to the northeast of the main crater, and forms a flooded crater along the edge of the Oceanus Procellarum. This is a merged formation with a smaller crater laying across the southwest rim of the larger, and the two sharing a common dark floor.
This formation is named after the Timurid king and scientist Mīrzā Muhammad bin Shāhrukh
Ulugh Beg
Ulugh Bek was a Timurid ruler as well as an astronomer, mathematician and sultan. His commonly-known name is not truly a personal name, but rather a moniker, which can be loosely translated as "Great Ruler" or "Patriarch Ruler" and was the Turkic equivalent of Timur's Perso-Arabic title Amīr-e...
, popularly known as Uluğ Bey (Chaghatai: great king).
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 Ulugh Beigh.| Ulugh Beigh | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 34.1° N | 79.3° W | 41 km |
| B | 32.8° N | 79.3° W | 8 km |
| C | 31.4° N | 79.1° W | 31 km |
| D | 31.6° N | 82.4° W | 21 km |
| M | 35.7° N | 83.4° W | 7 km |