Popova (crater)

Popova

MESSENGER image
Planet	Mercury
Coordinates	34.72°S 66.73°W / -34.72; -66.73
Quadrangle	Discovery
Diameter	34 km (21 mi)
Eponym	Lyubov Popova

Mariner 10 image with Popova near center

Popova is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 2012, after the Russian painter and designer Lyubov Popova.[1]

The crater has a central peak[2] and has a bright ray system that overlies surrounding features and is thus young.

The peak-ring basin Chekhov is to the southeast of Popova, and the flat-floored Unkei is to the northeast.

References

1. "Popova". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
2. PRISTINE POPOVA, Release Date: January 4, 2013. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington.