Davies (crater) explained

Titlecolor:
  1. FA8072
Davies
Coordinate Title:Coordinates
Globe:Mars
Coordinates:45.96°N -0.09°W
Diameter:48.06
Eponym:Merton Davies

Davies is a crater on Mars located at 46°N 0°E on the fringe of Acidalia Planitia near Arabia Terra. It is approximately 48 km in diameter. The crater's name was formally approved by the IAU in 2006.[1]

It was named in honor of Merton Davies (1917–2001), a pioneer in the cartography of planetary bodies. An employee of the RAND Corporation, he assisted NASA in mapping Mars with colleagues Gérard de Vaucouleurs and Harold Masursky and defined the prime meridian of Mars as passing through the crater Airy-0. Davies Crater lies on the prime meridian, appropriate because Davies was responsible for its delineation.[2]

Notes and References

  1. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1426 Davies
  2. http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Where_is_zero_degrees_longitude_on_Mars Where is zero degrees longitude on Mars?