Agrippa (crater)

Agrippa
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates4°06′N 10°30′E / 4.1°N 10.5°E / 4.1; 10.5
Diameter43.75 km (27.18 mi)[1]
Depth3.0 km (1.9 mi)[2]
Colongitude350° at sunrise
FormationEratosthenian[3]
EponymAgrippa

Agrippa is a lunar impact crater that is located at the southeast edge of the Mare Vaporum. T. W. Webb called it a "fine crater".[4] It is located to the north of the similar-looking crater Godin;[5] the irregular Tempel lies just to the east. To the north and northeast, the rille designated Rima Ariadaeus follows a course to the east-southeast, reaching the western edge of Mare Tranquillitatis.[6]: 60 

The crater is from the Eratosthenian period, which lasted from 3.2 to 1.1 billion years ago.[3] The rim of Agrippa has an unusual shape, resembling the form of a shield with a rounded southern rim and a more angular northern half. The outer walls are steep and terraced, appearing brightly when illuminated by grazing light. A craterlet lies along the north wall, Agrippa H. The interior is somewhat irregular, with a central rise at the midpoint.[7][8] The central peak is V-shaped, pointing northward.[9]

Because of its location in the lunar Highlands near the visible center of the Moon, a site south of Hyginus rille in the vicinity of this crater was once suggested as a location for a moonbase in a 1961 US government report.[10]

This crater is named after the 1st century Greek astronomer Agrippa. This designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1] Its name was introduced into lunar nomenclature by Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli in 1651.[11]

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 Agrippa.[12] Agrippa B is to the north, Agrippa D and G are further west, Agrippa E is nearly northwest which is attached to another satellite crater Agrippa S, Agrippa F is not far to the east and Agrippa H is north-northeast touching the main crater.

Agrippa[6]: 291  Latitude Longitude Diameter
km mi
B 6.2° N 9.4° E 42.5
D 3.8° N 6.7° E 2012.4
E 5.2° N 8.5° E 53.1
F 4.4° N 11.4° E 63.7
G 3.9° N 6.2° E 138.1
H 4.8° N 10.7° E 63.7
S 5.3° N 8.9° E 3219.9

References

  1. 1 2 "Agrippa". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Pike, R. J. (September 1976). "Crater Dimensions from Apollo Data and Supplemental Sources". The Moon. 15 (3–4): 463–477. Bibcode:1976Moon...15..463P. doi:10.1007/BF00562253.
  3. 1 2 Wilhelms, Don E.; McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. See Table 12.2.
  4. ↑ Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. pp. 118, 154–159. Reprint: ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3
  5. ↑ Grego, Peter (2005). The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers' Observing Guides Series. London: Springer-Verlag. p. 131. ISBN 1-85233-748-6.
  6. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  7. ↑ Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
  8. ↑ Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
  9. ↑ Chu, Alan; Paech, Wolfgang; Weigand, Mario (2012). The Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas. Translated by Storm Dunlop. Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-107-01973-7.
  10. ↑ Salisbury, John W.; Campen, Jr., Charles F. (October 1961). "Location of a Lunar base" (PDF). GDR Research Notes No. 70. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  11. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 120–127, 211. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  12. ↑ 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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