Craters in Honor of Authors

According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, which is maintained by the United States Geological Survey, the following craters on Mars were named by the International Astronomical Union for “writers and others who have contributed to the lore of Mars."

• Alexey Tolstoy Crater. This crater is 95 km in diameter and was named in 1982 in honor of Alexey N. Tolstoy, author of Aelita or The Decline of Mars (1923).

• Burroughs Crater. Approved in 1973, this crater is 127 km in diameter and is named for Edgar R. Burroughs, author of the eleven-volume Barsoom series (1917-1964).

• Heinlein Crater. This crater is 88 km in diameter and was named in 1994 in honor of Robert A. Heinlein, author of Red Planet: a Colonial Boy on Mars (1949) and Podkayne of Mars (1963).

• Lasswitz Crater. Approved in 1976, this crater is 111 km in diameter and is named for Kurd Lasswitz, author of Two Planets (1897).

• Weinbaum Crater. This crater is 89 km in diameter and was named in 1973 in honor of Stanley G. Weinbaum, author of the short stories A Martian Odyssey (1934) and Valley of Dreams (1934).

• Wells Crater. Approved in 1973, this crater is 103 km in diameter and is named for H. G. Wells, author of The War of the Worlds (1898).