| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41.4° N, 85.3° W |
| Diameter | 52 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 86° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Robert W. Bunsen |
Bunsen is a lunar crater that lies near the northwestern limb of the Moon. It is located to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum and the von Braun crater. To the southeast is Lavoisier crater, and to the northeast lies Gerard crater. Northwest of Bunsen, on the far side of the Moon, is McLaughlin crater. Due to its position this crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration. This crater has become considerably worn and eroded by subsequent impacts, leaving a formation that has been described as disintegrated. The most intact portion of the rim is along the northeastern side. There is a smaller, crater-like formation intruding into the southeastern rim. Within the crater, the floor is pitted by tiny impacts, and has a rille system of criss-crossing clefts near the northern and southern rims. There is a low ridge near the southwest corner of the interior.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Bunsen crater.
| Bunsen | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 43.2° N | 88.9° W | 39 km |
| B | 44.2° N | 88.2° W | 20 km |
| C | 44.2° N | 90.0° W | 18 km |
| D | 40.9° N | 86.9° W | 14 km |
References
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
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- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). Lunar Nomenclature. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by The Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews 12: 136.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon observer's handbook. Cambridge University Press.
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- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 6th revision, Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1852331933.
