Bessarion (crater)

Bessarion

Lunar Orbiter 4 image of Bessarion (center) and Bessarion E (top center)
Coordinates	14.9°N 37.3°W / 14.9; -37.3
Diameter	10.2 km
Depth	2.0 km
Colongitude	37° at sunrise
Eponym	Bessarion

The crater area in a Selenochromatic Image (Si)

Oblique view from Apollo 15

Bessarion is a lunar impact crater located near the southwest edge of Mare Imbrium. It is named after Greek scholar Bessarion. Some distance to the east is the crater T. Mayer. Bessarion is a bowl-shaped crater with a low central rise and a higher albedo than the maria, making it a brighter feature when the sun is overhead.

Just to the north of Bessarion is a smaller crater Bessarion E that also has a relatively high albedo. This crater is sometimes called Virgil, although this name is not officially recognized by the IAU.

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 Bessarion.

Bessarion	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	17.1° N	39.8° W	13 km
B	16.8° N	41.7° W	12 km
C	16.0° N	42.6° W	9 km
D	19.8° N	41.7° W	9 km
E	15.4° N	37.3° W	8 km
G	14.9° N	40.3° W	4 km
H	15.3° N	41.4° W	5 km
V	15.0° N	35.0° W	3 km
W	16.7° N	36.9° W	3 km

References

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• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
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• Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.