A Lunar Place Name Named After a Joseon Dynasty Scholar Emerges... 'Nambyeongcheol Collision Zone'

First Case of Far Side Moon Crater Impact
Korean Lunar Orbiter Danuri to Conduct Research

The name of Nam Byeong-Cheol, an astronomer and mathematician of the Joseon Dynasty, has been used for a lunar feature. Although it is a crater on the far side of the moon that we cannot see, it is regarded as having great significance.

On the 19th, according to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and Kyung Hee University's Department of Space Exploration, the 'Danuri Magnetometer Payload Research Team (Principal Investigator: Professor Jin Ho),' the International Astronomical Union named an unnamed crater with unique magnetic characteristics on the far side of the moon 'Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater' on the 14th.

A crater refers to a characteristic depression formed when a smaller celestial body collides with a celestial body that has a solid surface. Such craters are common on the moon, which has a thin atmosphere, and many craters still remain unnamed.

The naming of Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater is the first case where a name proposed by South Korea has been assigned to a lunar feature, specifically honoring a Joseon scholar. Among all lunar craters named since 1980, Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater is the largest, and naming such a large crater has been very rare since the Apollo era. The diameter of Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater reaches 133 km. So far, a total of 1,659 lunar craters have been named.

The Danuri Magnetometer Payload Research Team at Kyung Hee University discovered that this crater was unnamed during joint research with Professor Ian Garrick-Bethell of the University of California, Santa Cruz, a participating American scientist, and applied for its naming. The name Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater was finally proposed after recommendation and consultation with the Center for Ancient Astronomy Research at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (Center Director: Yang Hong-Jin).

The naming of lunar surface craters is overseen by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and scientific significance of the feature is important for naming. Additionally, documentation proving that the name belongs to a scientist is required. The Kyung Hee University research team passed the verification by referencing papers published in the journal of the Korean Space Science Society about Nam Byeong-Cheol, an astronomer and mathematician of the Joseon Dynasty.

Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater is characterized by having a magnetic field stronger than its surroundings. Kyung Hee University expects that during the mission period when Korea’s lunar orbiter 'Danuri' conducts observations in low orbit, new research through additional observations of Nam Byeong-Cheol Crater can continue. This means that a crater named after a Korean is being studied by a Korean orbiter.

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