Coulomb-Sarton Basin Explained
The Coulomb-Sarton Basin is a Pre-Nectarian impact basin on the far side of the Moon.[2] It is named after the crater Coulomb northeast of the center of the basin and the smaller crater Sarton just south of the center. The basin is not obvious on the lunar surface. There are only small fragments of inner rings and a rim, and the most indicative topographic feature is a smooth, low plain at the center.
At the center is a mass concentration (mascon), or gravitational high. The mascon was first identified by Doppler tracking of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft.[3] The existence of the basin was confirmed by the GRAIL spacecraft.[4]
Other craters within the basin include Weber and Kramers. At the approximate margin of the basin are Dyson, Ellison, Stefan, Wegener, Wood, Landau, and Gullstrand. The large crater Birkhoff is to the northwest.
External links
Notes and References
- The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. (online)
- Web site: Impact Basin Database . 2015-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140807080738/http://www.lpod.org/cwm/DataStuff/Lunar%20Basins.htm . 2014-08-07 . dead .
- 10.1126/science.281.5382.1476 . Improved Gravity Field of the Moon from Lunar Prospector . 1998 . A. S. Konopliv . A. B. Binder . L. L. Hood . A. B. Kucinskas . W. L. Sjogren . J. G. Williams . Science . 281 . 5382 . 1476–1480 . 9727968. 1998Sci...281.1476K . free .
- Neumann. Gregory A.. Zuber. Maria T.. Wieczorek. Mark A.. Head. James W.. Baker. David M. H.. Solomon. Sean C.. Smith. David E.. Lemoine. Frank G.. Mazarico. Erwan. Sabaka. Terence J.. Goossens. Sander J.. 9. 2015. Lunar impact basins revealed by Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory measurements. Science Advances. en. 1. 9. e1500852. 10.1126/sciadv.1500852. 2375-2548. 4646831. 26601317. 2015SciA....1E0852N.
