Airy (lunar crater)

For the crater on Mars, see Airy (Martian crater).

Airy

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	18.14°S 5.61°E / -18.14; 5.61
Diameter	38.9 km (24.2 mi)
Depth	1.8 km
Colongitude	354° at sunrise
Eponym	George B. Airy

LRO WAC mosaic

Oblique view from Apollo 14

Vicinity of Airy, as viewed from the Bayfordbury Observatory

Airy is a lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands. It is named in honour of British astronomer George Biddell Airy.[1] It forms the southernmost member of a chain of craters consisting of Vogel, Argelander, and Airy. A little further to the south lies Donati. Airy has a worn, and somewhat polygonal rim that it broken at the northern and southern ends. It has an fractured floor[2] and a central peak.

Satellite craters

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

Airy	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	17.0° S	7.7° E	13 km
B	17.6° S	8.5° E	29 km
C	19.3° S	4.9° E	34 km
D	18.2° S	8.5° E	7 km
E	20.7° S	7.6° E	38 km
F	18.2° S	7.3° E	5 km
G	18.7° S	7.0° E	25 km
H	18.7° S	5.8° E	9 km
J	19.0° S	6.1° E	4 km
L	20.4° S	7.5° E	6 km
M	19.2° S	7.6° E	1 km
N	17.8° S	8.2° E	8 km
O	16.7° S	8.3° E	5 km
P	15.8° S	8.4° E	7 km
R	19.6° S	8.8° E	7 km
S	17.2° S	9.4° E	5 km
T	19.2° S	9.4° E	40 km
V	17.5° S	9.2° E	5 km
X	18.9° S	10.2° E	4 km

References

1. "Airy". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
2. The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. (online)

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
• Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
• McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
• Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
• Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
• Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
• Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
• 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.

External links

• Airy at The Moon Wiki
• Wood, Chuck (February 10, 2008). "Airy Swirl". Lunar Photo of the Day.