Machaut (crater)

Machaut
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MESSENGER NAC image of Machaut
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationBeethoven quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates2°03′S 82°22′W / 2.05°S 82.37°W / -2.05; -82.37
Diameter104 km (65 mi)
EponymGuillaume de Machaut

Machaut is a crater on Mercury.[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Machaut is named for the French composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut, who lived from 1300 to 1377.[2] The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.[3]

Machaut is a volcanically modified crater. The floor was covered by volcanic deposits after the initial impact as shown by the partially submerged crater ("ghost crater") in the interior. [4]

Machaut is north of Snorri crater and west of Caruso and Boethius.

  • Machaut crater, from MESSENGER's second flyby in October 2008
    Machaut crater, from MESSENGER's second flyby in October 2008
  • Crater interior, showing a fresh crater and a ghost crater
    Crater interior, showing a fresh crater and a ghost crater
  1. ^ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN 0-7503-0620-3.
  2. ^ "Machaut". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/USGS/NASA. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. ^ Davies, M. E.; Dwornik, S. E.; Gault, D. E.; Strom, R. G. (1978). Atlas of Mercury. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. pp. 1–128. ISBN 978-1-114-27448-8. Special Publication SP-423.
  4. ^ Chapman, C. R., Baker, D. M. H., Barnouin, O. S., Fassett, C. I., Marchi, 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, Figure 9.13.