Morrison is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in September 2022. Morrison is named for the American author Toni Morrison, who lived from 1931 to 2019.[1]

Morrison
PlanetMercury
Coordinates79°40′N 232°34′E / 79.66°N 232.57°E / 79.66; 232.57
QuadrangleBorealis
Diameter35.0 km (21.7 mi)
EponymToni Morrison
Another WAC image under different lighting

Morrison has a region of permanent shadow along its southern rim, which has a bright radar signature. This is interpreted to represent a deposit of water ice.[2][3]

Radar-bright deposits near the north pole. Morrison is at upper left corner.

To the south of Morrison are the craters Mansart and Bjornson. To the north are Rizal and Josetsu. To the east is Despréz.

References

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  1. ^ "Morrison". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. IAU/NASA/USGS. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ PIA19411: Water Ice on Mercury, NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
  3. ^ John K. Harmon, Martin A. Slade, Melissa S. Rice, 2011. Radar imagery of Mercury’s putative polar ice: 1999–2005 Arecibo results. Icarus, 211, p37-50. doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.007