Donati (crater)

Donati
Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates20°42′S 5°12′E / 20.7°S 5.2°E / -20.7; 5.2
Diameter35.84 km (22.27 mi)[1]
Colongitude355° at sunrise
EponymGiovanni B. Donati

Donati is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged south-central highlands of the Moon. It lies just to the northwest of the crater Faye,[2] and the two outer rims are separated by a gap of less than 10 kilometers. To the north is the comparably sized Airy, and farther to the southeast is Playfair. Donati is 36 kilometers in diameter.[1][3]

The outer wall of Donati has been eroded by subsequent impacts, particularly in the south and east, where craterlets overlie the rim. The eastern rim is overlaid by the smaller satellite crater Airy B. The inner floor of Donati is uneven and marked by small craters, particularly in the south and southwest. At the midpoint of the interior is a central rise.[4][5]: 95  The crater is from the pre-Imbrian period, 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago.[3]

This formation is named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati (1826-1873). His name was introduced into lunar nomenclature during the 19th century by William R. Birt and John Lee.[6] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

Satellite features of Donati

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Donati.[7]

Donati[5]: 296  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 19.6° S 4.5° E 9 km
B 20.4° S 5.7° E 11 km
C 19.9° S 3.4° E 8 km
D 22.1° S 5.8° E 5 km
K 21.1° S 6.8° E 13 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Donati". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  2. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  3. 1 2 Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
  4. ↑ Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
  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. 136, 221. 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.
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donati (crater).
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.