Amontons (crater)

Amontons
Photo by LRO
Coordinates5°18′S 46°48′E / 5.3°S 46.8°E / -5.3; 46.8
Diameter2.47 km (1.53 mi)[1]
DepthUnknown
Colongitude213° at sunrise
EponymGuillaume Amontons

Amontons is a tiny lunar impact crater in the western half of the Mare Fecunditatis.[2] It is a circular, cup-shaped formation that has been excavated out of the level surface by the impact, and is the same dark hue as the surrounding mare. When the sun is at a low angle, multiple ghost-craters are visible in the mare surface to the south-southeast and north of it.[3]

This crater is named after French physicist Guillaume Amontons (1663-1705). Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976.[1] It was previously named Messier DB, a satellite of Messier crater.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Amontons". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Jones, Brian (2024). Who's who in the Moon: from Abbot to Zupus, a guide to the Moon and the people on it. White Owl. ISBN 978-1-5267-3708-3.
  3. ↑ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  4. ↑ "Messier AIC 79B". Apollo Intermediate Chart (AIC) Series. Lunar & Planetary Institute. December 1966. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
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