Holst (crater) explained

Holst
Location:Derain quadrangle, Mercury
Type:Central-peak impact basin
Coordinates:-17.42°N -315.04°W
Eponym:Gustav Holst

Holst is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on April 24, 2012.

Holst is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury.[1] To the east is another peak-ring basin, Nabokov, of similar size. Holst lies near the center of the ancient Lennon-Picasso Basin.

The plains around Holst are classified as intracrater plains which have rough topography, as opposed to smooth plains (such as Apārangi Planitia or Borealis Planitia). The intracrater plains are saturated with secondary craters.[2]

Holst is named for the British composer Gustav Theodore Holst.[3] Holst composed a musical suite called The Planets, including its third movement Mercury, the Winged Messenger.

Notes and References

  1. 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.
  2. Denevi, B. W., Earnst, C. M., Prockter, L. M., and Robinson, M. S., 2018. The Geologic History of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Section 6.3.1, Figure 6.2.
  3. Web site: Holst. . Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature . 9 February 2020.