Briggs is a lunar impact crater that is located in the western part of the Oceanus Procellarum, to the east of the large walled plain Struve.[4] It lies to the northeast of the walled plain Eddington, and north-northwest of the crater Seleucus.[5]: 38 The isolated position of this crater on the mare, near the northwestern limb of the Moon, makes it relatively easy for an Earth-bound observer to locate.[4]
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 26°30′N 69°06′W / 26.5°N 69.1°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 36.75 km (22.84 mi)[1] |
| Depth | 1.2 km (0.75 mi)[2] |
| Colongitude | 70° at sunrise |
| Formation | Late Imbrian[3] |
| Eponym | Henry Briggs |
This formation dates to the Late Imbrian period on the lunar geologic timescale. The outer rim of Briggs is not quite circular, with outward bulges to the north-northeast and southward. The interior floor is bulging upward, suggesting a subsurface uplift process. There are radial and concentric cracks, indicating a floor-fractured crater. At the midpoint of the crater floor is a central ridge, extending to the north. This spectrum of this ridge matches high-calcium pyroxene, which was brought up from deeper levels by the impact.[3][5]: 38
The crater is named after the English mathematician Henry Briggs (1561-1630).[1] His name was included in lunar nomenclature by German astronomer Johann H. Schröter in 1791.[6] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]
Satellite craters
editBy convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Briggs.
| Briggs[5]: 294 | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 27.1° N | 73.7° W | 23 km |
| B | 28.1° N | 70.9° W | 25 km |
| C | 25.0° N | 66.9° W | 6 km |
Briggs A has a mare-covered floor with an irregular array of depressions that were created by lava drainage.[7] Briggs B has a faint ray system.[8]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Briggs". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ↑ Pike, R. J. (September 1976). "Crater Dimensions from Apollo Data and Supplemental Sources". The Moon. 15 (3–4): 463–477. Bibcode:1976Moon...15..463P. doi:10.1007/BF00562253.
- 1 2 Keerthana, R.; et al. (February 2026). "Morphological, mineralogical, and chronological mapping of Briggs floor fractured crater using lunar remote sensing datasets". Icarus. 445. id. 116871. Bibcode:2026Icar..44516871K. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116871.
- 1 2 Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- 1 2 3 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101, 218. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- ↑ Schultz, P. H. (March 1974). Floor-Fractured Lunar Craters. Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Vol. 5. p. 681. Bibcode:1974LPI.....5..681S.
- ↑ Grier, Jennifer A.; et al. (December 2001). "Optical maturity of ejecta from large rayed lunar craters". Journal of Geophysical Research. 106 (E12): 32847–32862. Bibcode:2001JGR...10632847G. doi:10.1029/1999JE001160.
External links
edit
Media related to Briggs (crater) at Wikimedia Commons
