Arecibo Catena
Photograph by MESSENGER showing Arecibo Catena and nearby craters | |
| Feature type | Catena |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°30′S 28°24′W / 27.5°S 28.4°W |
| Eponym | Arecibo Observatory |
Arecibo Catena (Arecibo Vallis until March 2013)[1] is a catena on Mercury. It is named after Arecibo Observatory, the former large radio telescope in Puerto Rico.[2] It was originally named Arecibo Vallis, but the name was changed in 2013 to align with planetary feature naming themes.[3][4]
It is located at latitude 27.5 S, longitude 28.4 W, in the hilly and chaotic terrain antipodal to Caloris Basin.
Arecibo Catena is connected to Petrarch crater.
References
- ^ Arecibo Catena, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)
- ^ MESSENGER Observes Arecibo, October 10, 2008
- ^ Blue, Jennifer (26 March 2016). "Changes to Valles and Catenae on Mercury - USGS Astrogeology Hot Topics". astrogeology.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
- ^ "Planetary Names". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2025-12-10.