Bashō (crater)
 MESSENGER image | |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Michelangelo quadrangle, Mercury |
| Coordinates | 32°24′S 170°22′W / 32.4°S 170.36°W |
| Diameter | 74.62 km (46.37 mi) |
| Eponym | Matsuo Bashō |
Bashō is a crater on Mercury named after Matsuo Bashō, a 17th-century Japanese writer.[1] Bashō crater is only 74.62 kilometers (46.37 mi) in diameter,[2] but is a prominent feature on Mercury's surface, due to its bright rays. Photographs from NASA's Mariner 10 and MESSENGER spacecraft show a curious halo of dark material around the crater.[3] The dark material is typically referred to as low-reflectance material (LRM) and there is evidence that it is caused by graphite.[4]
Bashō is one of the largest craters of the Kuiperian system on Mercury. The largest is Bartók crater.[5]
Mariner 10 image
Image from MESSENGER's first flyby in January 2008
MESSENGER image
Exaggerated color image by MESSENGER, with Tolstoj at top and Bashō in lower left
Similar image centered on Bashō
Oblique view from MESSENGER
References
- ^ International Astronomical Union (30 November 1980). Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Volume XVIIB. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 291. ISBN 978-90-277-1159-5.
- ^ "Bashō". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ "Catalog Page for PIA10650". photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ^ "Mercury's mysterious surface darkness revealed". Astronomy Now. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ Denevi, B. W., Ernst, 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. Chapter 6, Table 6.4.
