Sheepshanks is a small

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

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 ...

located near the northern edge of

Mare Frigoris Mare Frigoris (Latin ''frīgōris'', the "Sea of Cold") is a lunar mare in the far north of the Moon. It is located in the outer rings of the Procellarum basin, just north of Mare Imbrium, and stretches east to north of Mare Serenitatis. It is j ...

. Due south on the opposite shore is the prominent crater Aristoteles while to the north is C. Mayer. Sheepshanks appears somewhat oblong due to foreshortening, but it is actually nearly circular. The inner walls slope down to a ring of material around the inner floor. There is a small craterlet along the southeastern inner wall. The crater is otherwise not particularly eroded by impacts. About to the southeast of the crater rim is the western end of the narrow

rille Rille (German for 'groove') is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the surface of the Moon that resemble channels. The Latin term is ''rima'', plural ''rimae''. Typically, a rille can be several kilometers w ...

named Rima Sheepshanks. This cleft extends for a distance of about across the surface of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

, running to the east-northeast. The craters are named for

Anne Sheepshanks Anne Sheepshanks (2 April 1789 – 8 February 1876) was a British astronomical benefactor. Life Sheepshanks was born in Leeds on 2 April 1789. She was the daughter of Joseph and Ann Sheepshanks. Her mother was from Kendal and her father was ...

who was a benefactor to the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

. Despite being overlooked for membership of the society her contribution is recorded in the naming of these craters.100 years and counting: women in the RAS go from strength to strength
14 January 2016, RAS, Retrieved 16 March 2017

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 Sheepshanks.

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{Commons, Image:Lunar_crater_Sheepshanks.png Impact craters on the Moon