Sierpinski is a
lunar impact crater
An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...
on the
far side of the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...
. It lies to the southeast of the huge walled plain
Gagarin, and to the northwest of the crater
O'Day and the
Mare Ingenii
Mare Ingenii (Latin ''ingeniī'', the "Sea of Cleverness") is one of the few lunar mare features on the far side of the Moon. The mare sits in the Ingenii basin, which is of the Pre-Nectarian epoch, which lies in turn in the outer part of the o ...
.
This crater has undergone some wear, particularly along the southwest where Sierpinski Q intrudes slightly into the inner wall. The rim is higher and the inner wall wider along the eastern side. There is a prominent ridge within the interior that extends from near the midpoint to the northern inner wall. There are several small craters along the inner wall in the north and northwest. Only a small portion of the interior floor along the western half is relatively level.
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 Sierpinski.
References
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External links
Lunar Map 103 showing Sierpinski and surroundings (Regional maps at the
Lunar and Planetary Institute
The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is a scientific research institute dedicated to study of the Solar System, its formation, evolution, and current state. The Institute is part of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and is supp ...
.)
External links
Moon Nomenclature on the NASA site
Impact craters on the Moon