Lyot

Lyot may refer to:

Lyot (lunar crater)

Lyot is a large lunar crater that is located along the southeastern limb of the Moon. It lies within the irregular and patchy lunar mare named Mare Australe, and to the south of the crater Hamilton. Due to its location, this formation is viewed at a low angle from the Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration.

The interior floor of this crater has been resurfaced by lava, leaving a dark interior with an albedo that matches the surrounding mare. The outer rim is low and heavily worn, with a perimeter that forms a somewhat distorted circle. The southwest part of the floor and rim is marked by several small, bowl-shaped craters. There is also the remains of a ghost crater to the east of the crater midpoint.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Lyot.

References

Lyot (Martian crater)

Lyot is a large crater in the Vastitas Borealis region of Mars, located at 50.8° north latitude and 330.7° west longitude within the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle. It is 236 km in diameter and was named after Bernard Lyot, a French astronomer (1897–1952). The name was approved in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN). Lyot stands out on the flat plains of Vastitas Borealis, which is generally flat and smooth with few large craters. Lyot is the deepest point in Mars's northern hemisphere.

MOLA map of Lyot and other nearby craters. Colors indicate elevations.

MOLA map of Lyot and other nearby craters. Colors indicate elevations.

Research published in June 2009 describes evidence for liquid water in Lyot in the past.

Former rivers

Images from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show valleys carved by rivers on the floor of Lyot Crater. Scientists are excited because the rivers seem to have formed more recently than others on Mars; water could have flowed in them only 1.25 million years ago. The source of the water is believed to have been ice from nearby glaciers. The river valleys are over 250 meters wide and tens of kilometers long.