Anaximander (crater)

Anaximander
Oblique Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates66°58′N 51°26′W / 66.97°N 51.44°W / 66.97; -51.44
Diameter68.71[1] km
Depth2.4 km
Colongitude52° at sunrise
EponymAnaximander
Anaximander crater and the largest two satellite craters

Anaximander is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northwest limb of the Moon. It is joined at the northern rim by the crater Carpenter, a younger and better-defined formation. To the southeast is the much larger J. Herschel, a formation of the variety known as a walled plain.[2]

The outer wall of Anaximander is heavily worn and eroded, with multiple notches and breaks. There is no central peak, but the floor contains several small craterlets and a multitude of tiny pits from minor impacts. This crater has merged with the larger Anaximander D to the south, and there is a wide break in their common rims where they have joined. To the northwest a low rise in the surface is all that separated Anaximander from the much larger satellite crater Anaximander B.[3]: 67 

The crater is named for the 6th century BCE Greek philosopher and astronomer Anaximander. Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1] The name was introduced into lunar nomenclature in 1651 by Giovanni Ricciolli.[4]

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 Anaximander.[5]

Anaximander[3]: 291  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 68.0° N 50.2° W 16 km
B 67.8° N 60.7° W 78 km
D 65.4° N 50.1° W 92 km
H 65.2° N 40.8° W 9 km
R 66.2° N 54.9° W 8 km
S 68.3° N 53.4° W 7 km
T 67.2° N 52.0° W 7 km
U 64.1° N 48.3° W 8 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Anaximander". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  3. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  4. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 60, 210. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  5. ↑ 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.

Sources

  • "A Violet Moon". Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). July 31, 1996. Retrieved August 22, 2017. - includes several craters such as Anaximander