Asclepi (crater)

Asclepi
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates55°06′S 25°24′E / 55.1°S 25.4°E / -55.1; 25.4
Diameter40.56 km (25.20 mi)[1]
Depth2.9 km (1.8 mi)
Colongitude335° at sunrise
FormationPre-Nectarian[2]
EponymGiuseppe Asclepi
Slightly oblique Lunar Orbiter 4 image

Asclepi is a degraded[2] lunar impact crater that lies in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. This is a bowl-shaped formation with a nearly level central floor. Nearby craters of note include Pitiscus to the north-northeast, Hommel due east,[3] and Baco to the northwest. To the west-southwest is the smaller crater Tannerus.[4]

On the lunar geologic timescale, Asclepi dates from the Pre-Nectarian period.[2] The outer rim has been worn down and rounded by many millions of years of subsequent impacts, so that it is now nearly level with the surrounding terrain. As a result, the crater is now little more than a depression in the surface. There is a small crater across the western rim, and several tiny craterlets. The satellite crater Hommel K is a more recent impact that is attached to the southeast rim. The interior is nearly flat and relatively featureless, with a small central rise and some craterlets in the southern half.[5]: 127 

This crater is named after Italian astronomer Giuseppe Asclepi (1706-1776). Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1] The name was introduced into lunar nomenclature by German selenographer Julius Schmidt in 1878.[6]

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 Asclepi.[7]

Asclepi[5]: 292  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 52.9° S 23.0° E 14 km
B 54.1° S 23.9° E 19 km
C 53.3° S 23.4° E 11 km
D 53.5° S 24.1° E 18 km
E 52.1° S 24.1° E 7 km
G 53.3° S 24.8° E 5 km
H 52.7° S 25.1° E 19 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Asclepi". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. 1 2 3 Purohit, Suchit; et al. (October 10, 2018). "Automatic crater classification framework based on shape parameters". Current Science. 115 (7). Current Science Association: 1351–1358. JSTOR 26978409.
  3. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  4. ↑ "LAC 127" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  5. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  6. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 118–119, 224. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  7. ↑ 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

  • 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.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Asclepi (crater) at Wikimedia Commons
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