astronomy

Stark (crater)

Stark (crater) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Stark (crater) rather than just read about it. In short: Stark is the disallowed name of a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy, and north of Subbotin.

Key takeaways

Stark (crater) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Stark (crater) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Stark (crater) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Stark is the disallowed name of a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy, and north of Subbotin. This is a heavily eroded crater with a jumbled outer rim and uneven interior. The pair of slightly smaller satellite craters Stark Y and Stark V are attached to the northwest and western exterior respectively, creating a triple-crater formation. (The designations Homer for Stark Y and Sappho for Stark V were suggested for these features, but the IAU rejected these names.) Within the interior of Stark is a small crater located just to the south of the midpoint. This crater was named after German physicist Johannes Stark (1874-1957), the 1919 Nobel laureatte in physics who was noted for his discovery of the Stark effect. Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1970. In 2020, upon learning of Stark's support for the Nazi Party, Charles Wood, the chair of the Task Group for Lunar Nomenclature at the IAU, recommended to the IAU that the name "Stark" be replaced. The name was dropped on August 12, 2020. Since then, this crater is officially unnamed.

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 Stark.

See also Lenard (crater), another lunar crater whose name was dropped in 2020 due to Nazi connections.

References

Sources

External links LTO-102D1 Stark — L&PI topographic map

Illustrations

Stark (crater): Lunar Orbiter 3 image — Lunar Orbiter 3 image

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stark (crater)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Stark (crater) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Stark (crater) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Stark (crater) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Stark (crater)

In research: Stark (crater) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Stark (crater) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Stark (crater) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Impact craters on the Moon, LQ22 quadrangle, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stark (crater) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Stark (crater) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Stark (crater) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Stark (crater) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Stark (crater) in simple terms?

Stark is the disallowed name of a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy, and north of Subbotin.

Why does Stark (crater) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Stark (crater)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Stark (crater).