Berosus (crater)

Berosus
LRO image
Coordinates33°30′N 69°54′E / 33.5°N 69.9°E / 33.5; 69.9
Diameter75.24 km (46.75 mi)[1]
Depth3.6 km (2.2 mi)
Colongitude293° at sunrise
FormationNectarian[2]
EponymBerosus of Chaldea

Berosus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northeast part of the Moon,[3][4] less than one crater diameter northwest of Hahn. Further to the east-northeast is a large walled plain named Gauss, and to the north-northwest lies Bernoulli crater.[5] Because of its location, this crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth.[6]

This formation dates to the Nectarian period of the lunar geologic timescale.[2] The rim of this crater is roughly circular, but with some angularity along the eastern edge. The southern end of the crater has been heavily eroded, and there are some tiny craterlets along the northern rim. The inner walls have some terracing along the east and northwestern sides. The interior floor of Berosus has been flooded by basalt, and so is level and nearly featureless.[7]: 28 

This crater is named after the Babylonian astronomer Berosus of Chaldea (unkn–c. 250 B.C.).[1] The name was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli in 1651, but he applied it to the crater now called Hahn. That was later changed by German astronomer Johann Mädler.[8] Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

Satellite craters of Berosus

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Berosus.[9]

Berosus[7]: 293  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 33.1° N 68.1° E 12 km
F 34.0° N 66.6° E 22 km
K 32.1° N 70.9° E 6 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Berosus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. 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. doi:10.3133/pp1348. Table 9-4.
  3. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  4. ↑ Elger, Thomas Gwyn (2019). The Moon: A Full Description and Map of its Principal Physical Features. Good Press.
  5. ↑ "LAC 28" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  6. ↑ Whitaker, E. A.; et al. (1963). Rectified Lunar Atlas: Supplement No. 2 to the Photographic Lunar Atlas. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Retrieved 2026-06-01. See Field 9.
  7. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  8. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. p. 211, 219. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  9. ↑ 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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