A Radial Valley Carved Beyond Mare Orientale

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

vallis

Coordinates

38.45° S · 82.32° W

Diameter

287.92 km

IAU approval

1970/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-109 · Vallis Inghirami

Geological Chronicle

Vallis Bouvard is a lunar valley spanning 287.92 kilometers across the Moon. It begins at the southern rim of the crater Shaler and winds to the south-southeast towards Baade.

The valley formed as a secondary crater chain radiating away from the southeast edge of the circular Mare Orientale impact basin, alongside Vallis Inghirami and Vallis Baade.

The feature honors Alexis Bouvard, a French astronomer and mathematician.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Official feature metadata and nomenclature registry
• Wikipedia (en) — Extracted Wikipedia description of Vallis Bouvard

Name Origin

Alexis; French astronomer, mathematician (1767-1843).