Balzac (crater)

Balzac
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MESSENGER WAC mosaic of Balzac
Feature typeCentral-peak impact crater
LocationTolstoj quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates10°37′N 144°40′W / 10.62°N 144.67°W / 10.62; -144.67
Diameter67 km (42 mi)
EponymHonoré de Balzac

Balzac is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Balzac is named for the French writer Honoré de Balzac, who lived from 1799 to 1850.[1]

Balzac is one of the largest craters of the Kuiperian system on Mercury. The largest is Bartók crater.[2]

Hollows are present within Balzac.

  1. ^ "Balzac". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  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 6.4.