Blackett beyond Mare Orientale

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

37.5493°S, 115.8357°W

Diameter

145.31 km

IAU approval

1979/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-122 · Brouwer

Geological Period

Pre-Nectarian

Geological Chronicle

Blackett lies on the Moon’s far side, behind the southwest limb and beyond the southeast outer ring of Mare Orientale. Its diameter is 145.31 km.

Mare Orientale’s formation left Blackett deeply marked by ridges trending from the northwest. Ejecta from the basin shaped much of the crater, particularly its western half.

Blackett dates to the Pre-Nectarian period and is heavily eroded. Several craters overlap the southern rim, while smaller formations overlap the western and northwestern rim. Ejecta from multiple sources roughened the floor; only parts of the southwest interior remain relatively level and featureless. Stetson is attached to the southwest rim.

The crater is named for British physicist Patrick M. S. Blackett (1897–1974). The International Astronomical Union formally adopted its designation in 1979.

Chronology & Exploration

1. Pre-Nectarian Blackett forms

   The crater’s formation dates to the Pre-Nectarian period.

2. After Mare Orientale formed Basin features shape the crater

   Mare Orientale’s formation left northwest-trending ridges on Blackett, and basin ejecta shaped much of the crater, particularly its western half.

3. 1979 The IAU adopts the designation

   The International Astronomical Union formally adopted Blackett’s designation.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Registry record for the crater’s identity, coordinates, diameter, and name origin.
• Blackett (crater), English Wikipedia — Source for the crater’s setting, geology, period, namesake, and naming date.

Name Origin

Patrick Maynard Stuart; British physicist; Nobel laureate (1897-1974).