Verdi is an

impact crater An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...

on the planet Mercury. It was named after Italian Romantic composer

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

(1813–1901) in 1979, as recognized by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

. The crater's extensive ejecta blanket and secondary crater field are superposed on plains materials and older craters. Verdi lies in the northern section of the

Shakespeare quadrangle The Shakespeare quadrangle is a region of Mercury running from 90 to 180° longitude and 20 to 70° latitude. It is also called Caduceata. The Borealis quadrangle is north of Shakespeare quadrangle. To the west is Raditladi quadrangle, and to ...

and is relatively large for a Mercurian crater, with a low rim and shallow floor. The crater has a diameter of about , although estimates of its size have varied. Like its neighbour,

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

, Verdi is "a complex crater with a central peak and

terraced walls A terraced wall, also a terrace wall, or a terraced retaining wall is a wall that is divided into sections ( terraces) over a slope. Such designs are useful when building on a steep grade. Terraced walls may be built with many different materi ...

" and has several secondary craters. Another key feature of the crater is its discontinuous inner rings. Verdi was first imaged by ''

Mariner 10 ''Mariner 10'' was an American Robotic spacecraft, robotic space probe launched by NASA on 3 November 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury (planet), Mercury and Venus. It was the first spacecraft to perform flybys of multiple planets. ''Marin ...

'', a robotic space probe launched in the early 1970s to survey Venus and Mercury. Verdi and most of the planet's other craters were photographed in 2011 by the ''

MESSENGER Messenger, Messengers, The Messenger or The Messengers may refer to: People * Courier, a person or company that delivers messages, packages, or mail * Messenger (surname) * Bicycle messenger, a bicyclist who transports packages through cities * M ...

'' mission, a probe sent by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

to orbit and photograph the planet. Verdi is one of several

craters on Mercury This is a list of named craters on Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System ''(for other features, see list of geological features on Mercury)''. Most Mercurian craters are named after famous writers, artists and composers. Accord ...

named after famous

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

s. Other examples in the Shakespeare quadrangle include

(after

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

), Scarlatti (after

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque music, Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical peri ...

), and

Couperin The Couperin family was a musical dynasty of professional composers and performers. They were the most prolific family in French musical history, active during the Baroque era (17th—18th centuries). Louis Couperin and his nephew, François Coup ...

(after Francois Couperin). A number of Mercurian craters are named after historic cultural figures from different fields, including literature, philosophy, and art, but others feature names from popular culture, including

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

(

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

crater) and

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

( Waters crater). File:Mariner 10 image 0000166.png,

image with Verdi crater near center File:Verdi crater EW0215589743G.jpg, Oblique view File:Verdi crater hollows EN1007560284M.map.jpg, Verdi crater hollows

References

{{Mercury (planet) Impact craters on Mercury