Sundman (crater)
Encyclopedia
Sundman is a lunar
crater
that lies just past the western limb of the Moon
. Although it lies on the far side from the Earth
, this part of the surface is brought into view during periods of favorable libration
and illumination. Sundman lies to the southwest of the walled plain Einstein
, and to the west of the Vallis Bohr
cleft.
This crater lies in the midst of the skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale
impact basin. Both the crater and its surroundings have been modified by this enormous amount of material, and the surface displays an uneven pattern that is generally radial to the basin, which is located to the north. The crater forms a shallow depression in the surface, with small craters along the southeastern and southwestern rim.
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 lies just past the western 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...
. Although it lies on the far side 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...
, this part of the surface is brought into view during periods of favorable libration
Libration
In astronomy, libration is an oscillating motion of orbiting bodies relative to each other, notably including the motion of the Moon relative to Earth, or of Trojan asteroids relative to planets.-Lunar libration:...
and illumination. Sundman lies to the southwest of the walled plain Einstein
Einstein (crater)
Einstein is a large lunar crater that lies along the western limb of the Moon, making it difficult to observe from the Earth. The visibility of this formation is affected by libration effects, but even under the best conditions not much detail can be observed except from lunar orbit...
, and to the west of the Vallis Bohr
Vallis Bohr
Vallis Bohr is a valley on the Moon stretching due south of the crater Einstein. This wide cleft has a length of about 80 kilometers, and is radial to the Mare Orientale impact basin further to the south. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are ....
cleft.
This crater lies in the midst of the skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale is one of the most striking large scale lunar features, resembling a target ring bull's-eye. Located on the extreme western edge of the lunar nearside, this impact basin is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective.Material from this basin was not sampled by the Apollo program...
impact basin. Both the crater and its surroundings have been modified by this enormous amount of material, and the surface displays an uneven pattern that is generally radial to the basin, which is located to the north. The crater forms a shallow depression in the surface, with small craters along the southeastern and southwestern rim.
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 Sundman.| Sundman | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J | 8.9° N | 90.2° W | 10 km |
| V | 11.9° N | 93.5° W | 19 km |