Ma Chih-Yuan (crater) explained

Ma Chih-Yuan
Location:	Discovery quadrangle, Mercury
Type:	Peak-ring impact basin
Coordinates:	-60.01°N -78.01°W
Eponym:	Ma Zhiyuan

Ma Chih-Yuan is a crater on Mercury.^[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Ma Chih-Yuan is named for the Chinese playwright Ma Zhiyuan, who lived in the 13th century CE.^[2]

Ma Chih-Yuan is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury.^[3] It is ancient and highly eroded, unlike Raditladi, for example.

To the east of Ma Chih-Yuan is Rabelais crater. To the northeast is Coleridge crater, and to the southwest is Sei crater.

Notes and References

1. Book: Moore, Patrick . The Data Book of Astronomy . 2000 . . 0-7503-0620-3.
2. Web site: Ma Chih-Yuan . . Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature . 9 July 2022.
3. 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.