Wagner (crater)

Wagner
Planet Mercury
Coordinates 68°06′S 114°42′W / 68.1°S 114.7°W / -68.1; -114.7Coordinates: 68°06′S 114°42′W / 68.1°S 114.7°W / -68.1; -114.7
Diameter 134 km (84 mi)
Eponym Richard Wagner
View of the south polar region of Mercury taken by the spacecraft MESSENGER in 2008

Wagner is an impact crater in the south polar region of the planet Mercury. It was named after the German composer Richard Wagner (1813–1883) in 1976, as recognized by the International Astronomical Union.[1] It is located in the Bach quadrangle, between Bach and Chopin.[2]

Wagner is one of several craters on Mercury named after famous composers. Other examples include Brahms (after Johannes Brahms), Scarlatti (after Domenico Scarlatti), and Couperin (after Francois Couperin).[3] 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 and Muddy Waters.[4][5]

Notes

  1. ↑ IAU Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature, Wagner, accessed 20 December 2015
  2. ↑ IAU Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature, Map of the H-15 (Bach) Quadrangle of Mercury, accessed 20 December 2014
  3. ↑ "Map of Shakespeare quadrangle" (PDF). IAU. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "Nomenclature: Mercury, craters". IAU. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Rannals, Lee (21 December 2012). "Disney name goes interplanetary with impact crater identity". redorbit. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
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