Dionysius (crater)

Dionysius
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates2°48′N 17°18′E / 2.8°N 17.3°E / 2.8; 17.3
Diameter17.25 km (10.72 mi)[1]
Depth2.91 km (1.81 mi)[2]
Colongitude343° at sunrise
FormationCopernican[3]
EponymSt. Dionysius
Oblique view from Apollo 15, showing the bright rays
Another view from Apollo 15
Detail of the interior from Lunar Orbiter 5

Dionysius is a lunar impact crater that lies on the western edge of the Mare Tranquillitatis.[4] T. W. Webb called it a "very brilliant crater-ring".[5] To the southeast is the crater pair of Ritter and Sabine. Just to the northwest is the system of rilles designated Rimae Ritter. These clefts follow a generally northwest direction.[6]

The rim of Dionysius is generally circular and shows little sign of wear.[7]: 60  The crater possesses a small ray system with a radius of over 130 kilometers. The formation has a high albedo and appears bright when the Sun is nearly overhead during a full Moon. It is surrounded by a bright halo, with darker material farther out. Some darker deposits are in the form of relatively rare dark rays.[8][9]

This formation is named after the Greek astronomer Dionysius the Areopagite (fl. 1st century A.D.). In 1651, his name was included in the lunar nomenclature of Italian astronomer Giovanni B. Riccioli as S. Dionysius, but he assigned it to the crater now named Delambre.[10] 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 Dionysius.[11]

Dionysius[7]: 297  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 1.7° N 17.6° E 3 km
B 3.0° N 15.8° E 4 km

References

  1. 1 2 "Dionysius". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
  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. ↑ 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. p. 265. doi:10.3133/pp1348.
  4. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  5. ↑ Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. pp. 118, 154–159. Reprint: ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3
  6. ↑ "LAC 60" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-08-21.
  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. ↑ Giguere, T. A.; et al. (March 2005). Remote Sensing Studies of the Dionysius Region of the Moon. 36th Annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, March 14-18, 2005, in League City, Texas, abstract no.1092. Bibcode:2005LPI....36.1092G.
  9. ↑ Smalley, Vern G. (September 1965). "The lunar crater Dionysius". Icarus. 4 (4): 433–436. Bibcode:1965Icar....4..433S. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(65)90050-3.
  10. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. p. 60, 212. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  11. ↑ 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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