Bashō (crater)
Crater on Mercury / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Quick Facts Feature type, Location ...
Feature type | Impact crater |
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Location | Michelangelo quadrangle, Mercury |
Coordinates | 32.4°S 170.36°W / -32.4; -170.36 |
Diameter | 74.62 km (46.37 mi) |
Eponym | Matsuo Bashō |
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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