Scopas (crater)

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Scopas
Scopas crater EN0216770134M.jpg
MESSENGER image, with north at the bottom
Planet Mercury
Coordinates 81°16′S185°17′W / 81.26°S 185.29°W / -81.26; -185.29
Quadrangle Bach
Diameter 83.16 km (51.67 mi)
Eponym Scopas

Scopas is a crater on Mercury, near the south pole. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976, after the ancient Greek sculptor and architect Scopas, [1] following the official convention of naming craters on Mercury after historically significant artists, musicians, painters, and authors. [2]

Two smaller, unnamed craters overlie Scopas crater itself. The northern rims of these craters are in permanent shadow. [3]

Ictinus crater is immediately to the northeast of Scopas.

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References

  1. "Scopas". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA . Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. "Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (IAU). Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  3. ILLUMINATION MAP OF MERCURY'S SOUTH POLE, NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington