Renoir is a crater on the planet Mercury. Its name, after the French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), was adopted by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

in 1976. Renoir is a

peak ring A peak ring crater is a type of complex crater, which is different from a multi-ringed basin or central-peak crater. A central peak is not seen; instead, a roughly circular ring or plateau, possibly discontinuous, surrounds the crater's center, ...

basin, one of 110 on Mercury, including Raditladi and

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

. Though these basins are relatively young geologic features, Renoir is one of the oldest of its type. Because of its greater age, Renoir displays more of the effects of

tectonics Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents k ...

and later impact events than the other peak ring impact basins. It is thought to have formed at the end of the period with the highest meteor impact rates in Mercury's history. It is located in the Kuiper quadrangle. Renoir also has an area of high

reflectance The reflectance of the surface of a material is its effectiveness in reflecting radiant energy. It is the fraction of incident electromagnetic power that is reflected at the boundary. Reflectance is a component of the response of the electronic ...

, classified as a plain, resulting from previous volcanic activity on the planet. Like Rachmaninoff, it is a basin with a high-reflectance plain located entirely within the central peak ring. Renoir has a concentric ring structure, meaning that it is also called a "concentric ring basin". Its interior rim is distinct, however, similar basins usually have a more distinct outer rim than inner rim. Basins like Renoir are known for having deep valleys in and around them. Mercury's lower radius and mass compared to other bodies like

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

mean that its basins - including Renoir and

Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

- have a greater diameter; consequently, the multi-ring basins on bodies like the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, including basins like Hertzsprung and

Mare Orientale Mare Orientale (Latin ''orientāle'', the "eastern sea") is a lunar mare. It is located on the western border of the near side and far side of the Moon, and is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective. Images from spacecraft have reveal ...

, are even larger than those on Mercury.

Views

File:Mariner 10 image 0027229.png, Mariner 10 image with Renoir at bottom Renoir crater to Sihtu Planitia MESSENGER WAC IGF to RGB.jpg, Regional approximate color image with Renoir below center Renoir crater interior EN0241249151M.jpg, Central Renoir - note the dark parts of the peak ring Renoir crater EN1033864633M.jpg, Oblique view of southern Renoir Renoir crater EN0239756726M.jpg, Another oblique view

References

{{Mercury (planet) Impact craters on Mercury Mercury (planet)