![]() MESSENGER NAC image of Han Kan, slightly right of center | |
Feature type | Central-peak impact crater |
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Location | Bach quadrangle, Mercury |
Coordinates | 72°08′S 146°24′W / 72.13°S 146.40°W |
Diameter | 50.0 km (31.1 mi) |
Eponym | Han Gan |
Han Kan is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 50 kilometers.[1] Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1985. Han Kan is named for the Chinese painter Han Gan, who lived from 720 to 780.[2]
On the eastern floor of Han Kan is a dark spot of low reflectance material (LRM), closely associated with hollows.[3]
Han Kan has an extensive ray system extending for hundreds of kilometers.
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Mariner 10 image with Han Kan at center
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Exaggerated color image by MESSENGER with Han Kan at center
References
[edit]- ^ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. Institute of Physics Publishing. ISBN 0-7503-0620-3.
- ^ "Han Kan". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ Zhiyong Xiao, Robert G. Strom, David T. Blewett, Paul K. Byrne, Sean C. Solomon, Scott L. Murchie, Ann L. Sprague, Deborah L. Domingue, Jörn Helbert, 2013. Dark spots on Mercury: A distinctive low-reflectance material and its relation to hollows. Journal of Geophysical Research Planets. doi.org/10.1002/jgre.20115