Homer (crater)

Homer
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Enhanced-color image of Homer, with Dominici crater at top
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationKuiper quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates1°18′S 36°37′W / 1.3°S 36.62°W / -1.3; -36.62
Diameter319 km (198 mi)
EponymHomer

Homer is a crater on Mercury. It is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury.[1] It is Tolstojan in age.[2]

Deposits of material in and around this crater suggest the possibility of explosive volcanic eruptions at some point in the planet's history.[3] An unnamed crater in northwestern Homer (about 18 km diameter) contains hollows and has dark ejecta.

The crater name was approved by the IAU in 1976.[4] The naming of Stark Y crater on the Moon, located northwest of Stark, as Homer, was not approved by the IAU.[5]

The small but fresh crater Dominici lies along the northern margin of Homer. The crater Handel is to the northeast, and Titian is to the southwest.

  • Mariner 10 image of Homer
    Mariner 10 image of Homer
  • Homer basin is marked with a white circle in the enhanced-color image. Nearby Titian crater is marked with an arrow.
    Homer basin is marked with a white circle in the enhanced-color image. Nearby Titian crater is marked with an arrow.
  • Unnamed crater in northwestern Homer which contains hollows and has dark ejecta.
    Unnamed crater in northwestern Homer which contains hollows and has dark ejecta.
  1. ^ Chapman, C. R., Baker, D. M. H., Barnouin, O. S., Fassett, C. I., Marchie, S., Merline, W. J., Ostrach, L. R., Prockter, L. M., and Strom, R. G., 2018. Impact Cratering of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 9.
  2. ^ 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 6.3.
  3. ^ PSR Discoveries: Hot Idea: Mercury Unveiled
  4. ^ Homer, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
  5. ^ SEDS: Homer (c. bet. 800 and 700 B.C.)