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Kuiper (Mercurian crater)

Coordinates: 11°21′S 31°14′W / 11.35°S 31.23°W / -11.35; -31.23
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This article is about the crater on Mercury. For other craters named Kuiper, see Kuiper (disambiguation).
Kuiper
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Kuiper photographed by MESSENGER
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationKuiper quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates11°21′S 31°14′W / 11.35°S 31.23°W / -11.35; -31.23
Diameter62 km (39 mi)
EponymGerard Kuiper

Kuiper is a moderate-size crater with a central peak cluster located at 11°21′S 31°14′W / 11.35°S 31.23°W / -11.35; -31.23 on Mercury. It is 62 kilometers in diameter and was named after Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1976.[1] It is one of only 2 Mercurian craters which are named not after artists,[2] and one of very few cases when the same name is used for 3 craters (there are also Kuiper craters on Mars and on the Moon). Gerard Kuiper, being a leader of American planetary science, died shortly before the first images of Mercurian surface were made.[2]

Kuiper overlies the northern rim of the larger crater Murasaki. Kuiper crater has the highest recorded albedo of any region on the planet's surface and has a prominent ray system, suggesting that it is one of the youngest craters.[3]

Kuiper is one of the largest craters of the Kuiperian system on Mercury. The largest is Bartók crater.[4] The Kuiperian time period is named after Kuiper crater.

Views

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  • Mariner 10 image with Kuiper at left
    Mariner 10 image with Kuiper at left
  • Distant oblique view from MESSENGER showing the extent of the ray system
    Distant oblique view from MESSENGER showing the extent of the ray system
  • Kuiper crater at low sun angle
    Kuiper crater at low sun angle
  • Oblique view at high sun angle
    Oblique view at high sun angle

References

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  1. ^ "Kuiper". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ^ a b Morrison D. (1976). "IAU nomenclature for topographic features on Mercury". Icarus. 28 (4): 605–606. Bibcode:1976Icar...28..605M. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(76)90134-2.
  3. ^ De Hon, R.A.; D.H. Scott & J.R. Underwood, Jr. (1981). "Geologic Map of the Kuiper (H-6) Quadrangle of Mercury". (Description)
  4. ^ Denevi, B. W., Ernst, C. M., Prockter, L. M., and Robinson, M. S., 2018. The Geologic History of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 6, Table 6.4.
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