Kuiper photographed by MESSENGER
| |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Kuiper quadrangle, Mercury |
| Coordinates | 11°21′S 31°14′W / 11.35°S 31.23°W / -11.35; -31.23 |
| Diameter | 62 km (39 mi) |
| Eponym | Gerard Kuiper |
Kuiper is a moderate-size crater with a central peak cluster located at 11°21′S 31°14′W / 11.35°S 31.23°W / -11.35; -31.23onMercury. It is 62 kilometers in diameter and was named after Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper in 1976.[1] It is one of only 2 Mercurian craters which are named not after artists,[2] and one of very few cases when the same name is used for 3 craters (there are also Kuiper craters on Mars and on the Moon). Gerard Kuiper, being a leader of American planetary science, died shortly before the first images of Mercurian surface were made.[2]
Kuiper overlies the northern rim of the larger crater Murasaki. Kuiper crater has the highest recorded albedo of any region on the planet's surface and has a prominent ray system, suggesting that it is one of the youngest craters.[3]
Kuiper is one of the largest craters of the Kuiperian system on Mercury. The largest is Bartók crater.[4] The Kuiperian time period is named after Kuiper crater.
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