&sq=&lang=&file=File:Ma_Chih-Yuan_crater_MESSENGER_NAC_mosaic.jpg) MESSENGER NAC mosaic of Ma Chih-Yuan | |
| Feature type | Peak-ring impact basin |
|---|---|
| Location | Discovery quadrangle, Mercury |
| Coordinates | 60°01′S 78°01′W / 60.01°S 78.01°W |
| Diameter | 197.0 km (122.4 mi) |
| Eponym | Ma Zhiyuan |
Ma Chih-Yuan is a crater on Mercury.[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Ma Chih-Yuan is named for the Chinese playwright Ma Zhiyuan, who lived in the 13th century CE.[2]
Ma Chih-Yuan is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury.[3] It is ancient and highly eroded, unlike Raditladi, for example.
To the east of Ma Chih-Yuan is Rabelais crater. To the northeast is Coleridge crater, and to the southwest is Sei crater.
- ^ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN 0-7503-0620-3.
- ^ "Ma Chih-Yuan". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
- ^ 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.