Gagarin (crater)
Lunar crater Gagarin seen by Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966
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| Coordinates | 19°40′S 149°21′E / 19.66°S 149.35°ECoordinates: 19°40′S 149°21′E / 19.66°S 149.35°E |
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| Diameter | 265 km |
| Depth | 4.8 km |
| Colongitude | 215° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Yuri Gagarin |
Gagarin is a large lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. To the southwest is the crater Pavlov and to the northeast lies Keeler. Closer to the rim are the craters Levi-Civita to the southwest, and Beijerinck to the north-northeast. Isaev lies entirely within the northwest rim of Gagarin. In contrast with the floor of Gagarin, Isaev has a floor with a somewhat low albedo. Isaev is the largest of six craters falling within the perimeter of Gagarin that have been named after pioneers of Russian aviation and astronautics.
Gagarin has been heavily eroded by a long history of crater impacts. The worn rim forms a low, circular ridge around the somewhat bowl-shaped interior. The inner floor is covered by a multitude of crater impacts of various dimensions. Little if anything remains of a central ridge, if the crater ever possessed such a feature.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Gagarin.
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Wikipedia