Cusanus (crater)

Cusanus
LRO image
Coordinates72°00′N 70°48′E / 72.0°N 70.8°E / 72.0; 70.8
Diameter60.87 km (37.82 mi)[1]
Depth3.39 km (2.11 mi)[2]
Colongitude293° at sunrise
EponymNikolaus K. Cusanus
Oblique view from Lunar Orbiter 4

Cusanus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northeastern limb of the Moon.[3] In this location the crater appears foreshortened when observed from the Earth.[4] The northern rim of Cusanus is nearly joined to the south-southeastern rim of the larger crater Petermann. To the west is Baillaud and to the southeast is Hayn.[5]

The rim of this crater has been eroded and rounded due to a history of minor impacts. The terraces are still visible along the inner walls, although they are less sharply defined compared to younger crater formations. A pair of tiny craters form a notch along the eastern rim, and there is a slight inward bulge along the western inner wall. The interior has apparently been resurfaced with lava, leaving a flat and relatively featureless floor. But the lava was not of sufficient depth to significantly reduce the width of the inner walls.[6]: 5 

This formation is named after German mathematician and philosopher Nikolaus K. Cusanus (1401-1464).[7] His name was included in the lunar nomenclature of Italian astronomer Giovanni B. Riccioli in 1651, but was apparently assigned to a crater later identified as 'T. Mayer alpha'.[8] Its modern designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

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 Cusanus.[9]

Cusanus[6]: 296  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 70.6° N 64.0° E 16 km
B 70.1° N 64.5° E 21 km
C 70.4° N 60.8° E 25 km
E 72.0° N 72.3° E 10 km
F 70.7° N 73.3° E 10 km
G 69.9° N 76.9° E 10 km
H 69.4° N 59.4° E 8 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Cusanus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  2. ↑ Joshi, Maitri P. (February 2017). "Physical properties of lunar craters". Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. 17 (3). id. 24. Bibcode:2017RAA....17...24J. doi:10.1088/1674-4527/17/3/24.
  3. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  4. ↑ 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 3.
  5. ↑ The described features span two charts:
    • "LAC 4" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
    • "LAC 5" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  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. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 60, 211. 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.

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.
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