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Boethius (Mercurian crater)

Coordinates: 0°59′S 73°38′W / 0.98°S 73.64°W / -0.98; -73.64
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Boethius
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MESSENGER WAC of Boethius
Feature typeImpact crater
LocationBeethoven quadrangle, Mercury
Coordinates0°59′S 73°38′W / 0.98°S 73.64°W / -0.98; -73.64
Diameter114 km (71 mi)
EponymBoethius
Hollows on the peaks in central Boethius crater, with the prominent scarp at center.

Boethius is a crater on the planet Mercury. It was named after Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, the Roman philosopher, by the IAU in 1976.[1] The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.[2]

Boethius is filled with smooth plains material, covering its original surface, and it has been subsequently deformed by a scarp.[3] Boethius is one of 110 peak ring basins on Mercury,[4] but only the northern arc of the peak ring is visible. Hollows are present on the arc of mountains.

The smaller crater Caruso is west of Boethius, and Polygnotus is to the east. Tansen is to the northeast.

References

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  1. ^ "Boethius". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. NASA. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  2. ^ Davies, M. E.; Dwornik, S. E.; Gault, D. E.; Strom, R. G. (1978). Atlas of Mercury. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. pp. 1–128. ISBN 978-1-114-27448-8. Special Publication SP-423.
  3. ^ MESSENGER Gathers Unprecedented Data about Mercury's Surface, Release Date: October 7, 2008. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
  4. ^ Chapman, C. R., Baker, D. M. H., Barnouin, O. S., Fassett, C. I., Marchie, S., Merline, W. J., Ostrach, L. R., Prockter, L. M., and Strom, R. G., 2018. Impact Cratering of Mercury. In Mercury: The View After MESSENGER edited by Sean C. Solomon, Larry R. Nittler, and Brian J. Anderson. Cambridge Planetary Science. Chapter 9.