Oken (crater)

Oken (crater)

Coordinates	43°42′S 75°54′E / 43.7°S 75.9°E / -43.7; 75.9Coordinates: 43°42′S 75°54′E / 43.7°S 75.9°E / -43.7; 75.9
Diameter	72 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	286° at sunrise
Eponym	Lorenz Oken

Oken is a lunar crater near the southeastern limb of the Moon. It is normally visible from the Earth, but is foreshortened and within the region of the surface that is subject to libration. To the south and east of this feature is the broad, uneven Mare Australe, which extends to the far side of the Moon.

The interior of this crater has become flooded by basaltic lava, producing a nearly level, featureless surface with a low albedo. A number of tiny craterlets mark this surface, particularly in the northwest. The surrounding mountain ring has been eroded by impacts, and is somewhat distorted from a true circular shape. There is a wide bulge in the rim toward the southeast, where the surface is lower and more rugged. Slight bulges also exist to the southwest and northwest. The rim is marked by a number of tiny impacts along the edge, particularly to the southwest.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Oken.

Oken	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	43.2° S	71.3° E	36 km
E	46.1° S	78.9° E	12 km
F	44.4° S	71.5° E	21 km
L	43.1° S	78.2° E	10 km
M	41.8° S	75.4° E	7 km
N	42.4° S	74.5° E	40 km

References

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097. 
• Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/. Retrieved 2007-08-05. 
• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2. 
• Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3. 
• McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. http://host.planet4589.org/astro/lunar/. 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.  edit
• Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 0-304-35469-4. 
• Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-33500-0. 
• Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8. 
• Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revision ed.). Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2. 
• Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4. 
• Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1-85233-193-3.