 Apollo 16 image | |
| Coordinates | 19°54′N 81°24′E / 19.9°N 81.4°E / 19.9; 81.4 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 57.58 km (35.78 mi)[1] |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 280° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Annie J. Cannon |
Cannon is a lunar impact crater that is located near the east-northeastern limb of the Moon's near side.[2] It lies just to the northwest of the Mare Marginis, and south-southeast of the crater Plutarch. Farther to the east-northeast is Hubble.[3]
This is a worn and eroded formation with an interior floor that has been resurfaced by lava. A small crater overlies the north rim, which forms a notch in the side. Tiny craters also lie across the rim northeast and at the southern edge. The interior is level and nearly featureless, with only a few tiny scattered craterlets to mark the surface. This floor has the same albedo as the surrounding terrain.[4]: 45
Originally identified as satellite feature Alhazen F,[5] this crater is named after American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon (1863–1941),[6] who spectrlly classified 300,000 stellar bodies.[7] Her name was introduced into lunar nomenclature by David W. G. Arthur and Ewen Whitaker with the Rectified Lunar Atlas (1963).[2][8] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1964.[1] Alhazen itself is located to the west southwest.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Cannon.
| Cannon[4]: 294 | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 17.5° N | 80.0° E | 31 km |
| E | 19.2° N | 79.1° E | 22 km |
See also
- 1120 Cannonia, main-belt asteroid
References
- "Cannon". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- Whitaker, E. A.; et al. (1963). Rectified Lunar Atlas: Supplement No. 2 to the Photographic Lunar Atlas. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Retrieved 2026-06-01. See Field 15.
- "LAC 45" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Wood, Charles A. (June 2016). "The ABCs of lunar craters: the alphabet plays a key role in identifying features on the moon". Sky & Telescope. 131 (6). AAS Sky Publishing, LLC.: 52. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; et al. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855. See p. 182.
- Levine, Scott (August 2, 2020). "5 women astronomers with Moon craters named after them". BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
Sources
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.