 MESSENGER image of Beethoven | |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Beethoven quadrangle,Mercury |
| Coordinates | 20°S124°W / 20°S 124°W /-20; -124 |
| Diameter | 630 km (390 mi) |
| Eponym | Ludwig van Beethoven[1] |
Beethoven is acrater at latitude 20°S, longitude 124°W onMercury. It is 630 km in diameter[note 1] and was named afterLudwig van Beethoven.[1] It is theeleventh largest named impact crater in theSolar System and the third largest on Mercury (afterCaloris andRembrandt).
Unlike many basins of similar size on theMoon, such as theOrientale Basin, Beethoven is notmulti-ringed.[3] Remnant ejecta blankets around parts of the Beethoven are subdued in appearance and their margins poorly defined in places. The crater wall (rim) of Beethoven is buried by its ejecta blanket and by plains materials and is barely visible.[2] The floor of the basin is covered with intermediate smooth plains material, which has the same reflectance as the exterior intermediate terrain. However, there are nowrinkle ridges orgraben inside the basin like those in Caloris.[4]
Spudis and Prosser[5] have suggested that Beethoven may possibly be late c3 in age or as old as early c2, which means that it is older than theCaloris Basin. It is currently considered to beTolstojan in age.[6]
The depth of Beethoven is estimated to be2.5 ± 0.7 km from thestereo derived digital elevation models based onMariner 10 images of the planet. This is significantly less than the depth of lunar basins of the similar size indicating that Beethoven probably has relaxed from its post impact shape.[4] There is also a broad topographic rise in the north–west margin of Beethoven.[2]
A scarp that is roughly parallel with the west rim of Beethoven is known asDuyfken Rupes. The craterBello lies within the eas half of Beethoven, and the craterSayat-Nova lies across the southern rim. The large, fresh craterBartók is to the southwest of Beethoven.
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