Tsiolkovskiy (crater)

Tsiolkovskiy
Tsiolkovskiy on the Moon's far side from Apollo 15 showing the central peak. NASA photo.
Coordinates20°23′S 128°58′E / 20.38°S 128.97°E / -20.38; 128.97
Diameter184.39 km (114.57 mi)
Depth5.2 km (3.2 mi)[1][2]
Colongitude235° at sunrise
EponymKonstantin Tsiolkovsky

Tsiolkovskiy is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. Named for Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky,[3] it lies in the southern hemisphere, to the west of the large crater Gagarin, and northwest of Milne. Just to the south is Waterman, with Neujmin to the south-southwest. The crater protrudes into the neighbouring Fermi, an older crater of comparable size that does not have a lava-flooded floor.

Tsiolkovskiy is one of the largest craters of Upper (Late) Imbrian age.[4]

  1. ^ LTO-101B2 Tsiolkovskij Borealis
  2. ^ LTO-101B3 Tsiolkovskij Australis
  3. ^ "NASA - Floor of Tsiolkovskiy - Exploration Region of Interest".
  4. ^ The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 11.2.