Ritter

Ritter (of the Ritter-Sabine pair)

Lat: 2.0°N, Long: 19.2°E, Diam: 29 km, Depth: 1.3 km, Rükl: 35

Left: LOIV-085-h1, Right: Apollo AS-10-32-4760, Sabine & Ritter

Images

LPOD Photo Gallery Lunar Orbiter Images Apollo Images
Ranger 8 - Camera A photographs

• Superb Apollo 11 oblique view (AS11-41-6121, which is reproduced on pages 200-201 in Norman Mailer's splendid book MOONFIRE, THE EPIC JOURNEY OF APOLLO 11).

Maps

(LAC zone 60D3) LAC map Geologic map LM map AIC map

Description

Description: Elger

(IAU Directions) RITTER.--Is very similar in every respect to Sabine. A curved rill mentioned by Neison is on the N.W. side of the floor and is concentric with the wall. On the N. side of this ring-plain are three conspicuous craters, the two nearer being equal in size and the third much smaller.

Description: Wikipedia

Ritter

Additional Information

• Depth data from Kurt Fisher database
  • Pike, 1976: 1.3 km
  • Westfall, 2000: 1.3 km
  • Viscardy, 1985: 1.3 km
  • Cherrington, 1969: 1.31 km
• There's a very small crater between the two bowl-shaped craters Ritter B and C (immediately north-northwest of Ritter). This small crater is an interesting test object for observers of the moon with powerful telescopes. Research: Antoine Van Der Jeugt and Danny Caes.
• TSI = 20, CPI = 25, FI = 25; MI = 70 Smith and Sanchez, 1973

Nomenclature

• The present IAU name honors two men:
  • Karl Ritter (August 7, 1779 – September 28, 1859), a German geographer.
  • Georg August Dietrich Ritter (December 11, 1826 – February 26, 1908), a German astrophysicist. He was a professor at RWTH Achen University.
• The name Ritter (honoring Karl) was part of the original IAU nomenclature of Blagg and Müller (catalog number 542), where the name is attributed to Beer and Mädler.
• Georg was added as a second honoree in Menzel, 1971, where little was known about him other than that he had written some paper in the 1880's.
• According to Neison (1880), the British Association Lunar Committee (Birt?) at one time advocated changing the name Ritter B to J. Gwilt and Ritter C to G. Gwilt, possibly honoring English architect Joseph Gwilt and his son George Gwilt. Their suggestions were not adopted in later catalogues.

LPOD Articles

How Deep is that Hole? Something for everyone

Lunar 100

L38: Sabine & Ritter; Possible twin impacts.

Bibliography

• Wood, C.A. 7/2006. False Volcanoes on the Moon. S&T 112:(1):66-67
• Wood, C.A. Aug. 2003. Treasures of the Western Tranquillitatis. S&T 8/2003:120
• Harold Hill. A Portfolio of Lunar Drawings, pages 6, 7.

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