Pasteur is a large

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impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...

, approximately 233 kilometers in diameter, belonging to the category termed a walled plain. It was named after French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur. It lies on the far side of the

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as seen from the

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, just beyond the eastern limb. The vicinity of this crater is occasionally brought into view from Earth due to librations, although not much detail can be seen.

Description

Lying along the southern rim of Pasteur is the smaller crater Backlund. Just to the southeast is

Hilbert David Hilbert (; ; 23 January 1862 – 14 February 1943) was a German mathematician, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hilbert discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in many ...

, another walled plain, nearly two-thirds the diameter of Pasteur. To the southwest is the prominent crater Sklodowska, and to the east is Meitner. The outer rim of Pasteur is generally irregular, with sections being heavily damaged by multiple impacts. The northern rim in particular has been nearly obliterated by overlapping impacts, and the southern rim is not in much better shape with a stretch overlain by Backlund. The southeast rim of Pasteur is nearly linear near where the ground has been modified by Hilbert. Even the western rim is heavily damaged, with overlying craters Pasteur U, Anders' Earthrise crater, and Pasteur Q. (The first of these, Pasteur U, forms a merged group of overlapping craters.) The interior is not in much better shape, with the southern half irregular from ejecta covering the surface, and several small craters lying across the floor. In the northwest part of the floor is a short chain of small, overlapping craters forming an arcing line from north to south. The satellite craters Pasteur G and Pasteur H form a pair to the east of the midpoint. The satellite crater Pasteur D, to the northeast of Pateur, is fresh and has a ray system, and is consequently mapped as part of the Copernican System.The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J.

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

Professional Paper: 1348. Plate 11: Copernican System
online

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Pasteur. Pasteur T was renamed Anders' Earthrise in October 2018. File:Pasteur D crater AS15-M-0128.jpg, Apollo 15 image of Pasteur D File:AS15-94-12823.jpg, Oblique Apollo 15 image of Pasteur D File:Anders' Earthrise crater AS17-P-2847.jpg, Oblique view of Anders' Earthrise crater (formerly Pasteur T) from Apollo 17 panoramic camera

References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Commonscat Impact craters on the Moon

Description

Satellite craters

See also

References