Agatharchides (crater)

Agatharchides
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates19°48′S 30°54′W / 19.8°S 30.9°W / -19.8; -30.9
Diameter51.98 km (32.30 mi)[1]
Depth1.2 km (0.75 mi)
Colongitude31° at sunrise
EponymAgatharchides
Oblique view from Apollo 16, facing south

Agatharchides is an irregular lunar impact crater located at the southern edge of Oceanus Procellarum, in the region between the Mare Humorum and Mare Nubium. To the east-southeast is the crater Bullialdus, and to the south-southwest lies Loewy.[2]: 93–94 

Due to its irregular structure, Agatharchides needs to be examined under different lighting conditions to appreciate its distinct features.[3] The interior of this heavily degraded crater has been inundated by lava in the past, resurfacing the floor.[4] The damaged outer wall varies considerably in height, ranging from level with the surface to rising as high as 1.5 km. The most intact portions of the wall are along the east and the west-southwest, while the rim is nearly non-existent to the north and heavily damaged to the south. A small craterlet lies along the western rim. The interior floor is marked only by a few tiny craterlets,[5][2]: 93  and a branch of the Rimae Hippalus.[6]

This crater is named after the Greek geographer Agatharchides.[1] The name was introduced into lunar nomenclature by Johann H. von Madler during 1834–1837.[7] This designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

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 Agatharchides.[8]

Agatharchides[2]: 291  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 23.2° S 28.4° W 16 km
B 21.5° S 31.6° W 7 km
C 22.0° S 32.9° W 12 km
E 20.7° S 33.0° W 15 km
F 20.3° S 31.8° W 6 km
G 20.1° S 26.7° W 6 km
H 20.4° S 33.9° W 15 km
J 21.6° S 32.5° W 13 km
K 21.0° S 27.4° W 11 km
L 21.1° S 26.7° W 8 km
N 21.1° S 29.6° W 22 km
O 19.2° S 26.6° W 5 km
P 20.2° S 28.7° W 66 km
R 18.3° S 30.7° W 5 km
S 17.7° S 30.5° W 3 km
T 18.2° S 27.7° W 5 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Agatharchides". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. 1 2 3 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  3. ↑ Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
  4. ↑ Wagner, R.; et al. (June 2010). "Lunar red spots: Stratigraphic sequence and ages of domes and plains in the Hansteen and Helmet regions on the lunar nearside". Journal of Geophysical Research. 115 (E6). CiteID E06015. Bibcode:2010JGRE..115.6015W. doi:10.1029/2009JE003359.
  5. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  6. ↑ Grego, Peter (2005). The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers' Observing Guides Series. London: Springer-Verlag. p. 174. ISBN 1-85233-748-6.
  7. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 120–127, 219. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  8. ↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.
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