Planet | Mercury |
---|---|
Coordinates | 32°24′S 170°22′W / 32.4°S 170.36°W |
Quadrangle | Michelangelo |
Diameter | 74.62 km (46.37 mi) |
Eponym | Matsuo Bashō |
Bashō is a crater on Mercury named after Matsuo Bashō, a 17th-century Japanese writer. [1] Bashō crater is only 74.62 kilometers (46.37 mi) in diameter, [2] but is a prominent feature on Mercury's surface, due to its bright rays. Photographs from NASA's Mariner 10 and MESSENGER spacecraft show a curious halo of dark material around the crater. [3]
Bashō is one of the largest craters of the Kuiperian system on Mercury. The largest is Bartók crater. [4]