Kuiper (lunar crater)

Kuiper (/ˈkaɪpər/ KY-pər) is a small lunar impact crater in a relatively featureless part of the Mare Cognitum. It is a circular, cup-shaped feature with only some minor wear. It was named after Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1976. Kuiper was the Project Scientist for the Ranger program. This crater was previously identified as Bonpland E. The lava-flooded crater Bonpland lies to the east at the edge of the Mare Cognitum.

This article is about the crater on the Moon. For other craters named Kuiper, see Kuiper (disambiguation).
Kuiper
Apollo 16 image
Coordinates9.8°S 22.7°W / -9.8; -22.7
Diameter7 km
Depth1.3 km
Colongitude23° at sunrise
EponymGerard P. Kuiper

To the east-southeast of Kuiper crater is the crash landing site of the Ranger 7 probe, the first American spacecraft to photograph the Moon.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.