Humason Crater on the Plains of Oceanus Procellarum

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

30.73° N · 56.66° W

Diameter

4.34 km

IAU approval

1973/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-38 · Seleucus

Geological Chronicle

Humason is a cup-shaped crater measuring 4.34 kilometers across, located in Oceanus Procellarum. Its outer rim rises slightly above the surrounding lunar mare.

To the west lies Dorsa Whiston, a low system of mare wrinkle ridges that winds south toward Montes Agricola. Lichtenberg crater sits more than 100 kilometers to the west.

The formation was previously identified as Lichtenberg G before the International Astronomical Union renamed the crater in 1973 in honor of American astronomer Milton Lasell Humason.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1973 Renaming by the IAU

   The International Astronomical Union officially renamed the crater from Lichtenberg G to Humason in honor of American astronomer Milton Lasell Humason.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Feature entry for Humason
• Wikipedia (Humason crater) — English Wikipedia article extract

Name Origin

Milton Lasell; American astronomer (1891-1972).