Watson (crater)

Coordinates: 62°36′S 124°30′W / 62.6°S 124.5°W / -62.6; -124.5
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Watson
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image, facing west
Coordinates62°36′S 124°30′W / 62.6°S 124.5°W / -62.6; -124.5
Diameter64 km
DepthUnknown
Colongitude125° at sunrise
EponymJames C. Watson

Watson is a lunar impact crater that is located in the low southern latitudes on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the larger crater Lippmann and southeast of Fizeau.

This is a worn crater formation with an outer edge that has been eroded to the point where it has lost much of its definition and now forms a rounded, uneven edge. A number of small craterlets lie along the edge and within the interior. A merged pair of small craters lies along the southern edge of the floor and inner wall. There is a small, cup-shaped crater along the northeast edge of the interior floor. Whether the crater once possessed a central peak is no longer apparent.

Satellite craters[edit]

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Watson.

Watson Latitude Longitude Diameter
G 63.3° S 120.3° W 34 km

References[edit]

  • Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
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  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
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  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
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  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.