Sherlock (crater) explained

Coordinates:20.15°N 30.79°W
Diameter:520 m[1]
Eponym:Astronaut-named feature

Sherlock is a feature on Earth's Moon, a crater in Taurus–Littrow valley. Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt drove their rover to the north of it in 1972, on the Apollo 17 mission. They photographed the rim, as shown below.

Sherlock is about 1 km east of the Apollo 17 landing site. To the south of it is Steno crater and to the north are Van Serg and Shakespeare.

The crater was named by the astronauts after the fictional Sherlock Holmes from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.[2]

Alternatively, the crater was named after Gerald Sherlock of Melbourne Florida who was good friendes with astronaut Thomas P. Stafford. Gerald was a physicist. "Stafford told Sherlock he'd name something on the moon for him..."[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/5484 Sherlock
  2. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.site.html The Valley of Taurus–Littrow
  3. Mobile, Alabama Newsclipping titled "CRATER ON MOON TO BE NAMED FOR LOCAL'S KIN"