Balmer (crater)

Balmer is the lava-flooded remains of a lunar impact crater. Only the heavily worn southern and eastern sections of the crater still survive; the remainder being overlaid by a lava flow that joins to the nearby mare. Balmer lies to the east-southeast of the crater Vendelinus.

Balmer

LRO image
Coordinates	20.1°N 70.6°E
Diameter	112 km
Depth	None
Colongitude	288° at sunrise
Eponym	Johann J. Balmer

Balmer was considered a Constellation Region of Interest.[1] Light plains deposits overly mare basalt, as evidenced by multiple dark-halo craters.[2]

Gallery

• 
  Oblique view facing west from Apollo 17
• 
  One of the more interesting features within Balmer is this 1-km wide impact crater with a prominent ray system, photographed by Apollo 14
• 
  LRO image of the 1-km crater with rays within Balmer

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 Balmer.

Balmer	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
M	20.7° S	71.5° E	5 km
N	19.9° S	69.9° E	8 km
P	20.4° S	67.7° E	13 km
Q	18.7° S	70.5° E	7 km
R	18.7° S	69.1° E	4 km
S	18.4° S	67.6° E	6 km

References

1. Two-toned Impact Crater in Balmer Basin: A Reflection of the Target?, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera article, 26 March 2010.
2. Hawke, B. R., J. J. Gillis, T. A. Giguere, D. T. Blewett, D. J. Lawrence, P. G. Lucey, G. A. Smith, P. D. Supdis, G. J. Taylor (2005) Remote sensing and geologic studies of the Balmer-Kapteyn region of the Moon, Journal of Geophysical Research, 110. doi:10.1029/2004JE00283.

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