Josetsu (crater) explained

Josetsu
Globe:Mercury
Coordinates:83.58°N -134.93°W
Diameter:30 km
Eponym:Taikō Josetsu

Josetsu is a crater on Mercury, located near the north pole. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2019. It is named for the Japanese painter Taikō Josetsu.[1] The crater was referred to as o7 in scientific literature prior to naming.[2]

The southern portion of Josetsu is in permanent shadow, and within the shadow is a topographic low called a "small‐scale cold trap" where water-ice may be exposed at the surface.[2]

Josetsu is southeast of Bunin crater.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Josetsu . . Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature . 24 May 2020.
  2. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL074723 New evidence for surface water ice in small‐scale cold traps and in three large craters at the north polar region of Mercury from the Mercury Laser Altimeter