Billy (crater)
Billy is a lunar impact crater that is located at the southern fringes of the Oceanus Procellarum, in the western hemisphere of the Moon. It was named after French mathematician Jacques de Billy.[1] It lies to the southeast of the similar-sized crater Hansteen, and west-southwest of the flooded Letronne.
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image (spots at upper right are blemishes on original) | |
| Coordinates | 13.8°S 50.1°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 45 km |
| Depth | 1.2 km |
| Colongitude | 50° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Jacques de Billy |
The interior floor of Billy has been flooded by basaltic lava, leaving a dark surface due to the low albedo. The portion of the rim remaining above the surface is narrow and low, with a thin inner wall. Only a few tiny craterlets mark the interior.
To the north of the crater is a triangular mountainous formation named Mons Hansteen, from the nearby crater. Southeast of Billy is a rille, designated Rima Billy, that runs 70 kilometers to the south.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Billy.
| Billy | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 14.3° S | 46.3° W | 7 km |
| B | 12.2° S | 47.6° W | 25 km |
| C | 16.1° S | 49.0° W | 6 km |
| D | 14.9° S | 48.3° W | 11 km |
| E | 15.0° S | 49.6° W | 2 km |
| H | 15.6° S | 49.6° W | 3 km |
| K | 12.9° S | 48.7° W | 4 km |
References
- "Billy (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
External links
- "Dark lava floor of crater Billy seen by SMART-1". ESA. Retrieved March 31, 2006.
