Lucretius (crater)

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Lucretius
Lucretius crater WAC.jpg
LRO WAC image
Coordinates8°12′S 120°48′W / 8.2°S 120.8°W / -8.2; -120.8Coordinates: 8°12′S 120°48′W / 8.2°S 120.8°W / -8.2; -120.8
Diameter63 km
DepthUnknown
Colongitude122° at sunrise
EponymLucretius
A view of Lucretius from Lunar Orbiter 5, facing west

Lucretius is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, within the outer skirt of ejecta that surrounds that impact feature. To the southwest of Lucretius lies Fridman.

This crater is a relatively fresh impact, as the formation is well-defined and the rim and interior remain nearly unscathed from impact erosion. The rim has an outward bulge along the western side, so that it is slightly wider in longitude than latitude. The inner walls display some terrace structures, and the interior floor is somewhat uneven in places.

To the northwest of Lucretius is a chain of craters called the Catena Lucretius. These extend for a distance of 271 km across the southern floor of Hertzsprung, and include a number of craters ranging up to 15–20 km in diameter.

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 Lucretius.

Lucretius Latitude Longitude Diameter
C 3.7° S 114.4° W 20 km
U 7.7° S 123.6° W 24 km

References[]

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  • McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
  • Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
  • Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  • Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  • Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
  • Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
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