Maraldi (lunar crater)

Maraldi
Apollo 17 Mapping Camera image
Coordinates19°22′N 34°48′E / 19.36°N 34.80°E / 19.36; 34.80
Diameter39.62 km (24.62 mi)[1]
Depth1.5[2] km
Colongitude325° at sunrise
FormationNectarian[3]
EponymGiovanni Domenico Maraldi and Giacomo F. Maraldi
Context image showning Gardner (lower left) and Maraldi (center) from Apollo 17. NASA photo.

Maraldi is a worn, eroded crater on the western edge of the Sinus Amoris, in the northeast part of the Moon.[4] It is located near Römer crater,[5] found to the north. To the west-southwest is the crater Vitruvius, and to the northwest lies the worn Littrow crater. Just to the northeast of the crater is the dome-like Mons Maraldi rise.[6]: 43 

On the lunar geologic timescale, Maraldi is a crater of Nectarian age.[3] Maraldi has a very worn outer wall that is deeply incised and has the appearance of a circular range of peaks rather than a crater rim.[6]: 43  The interior has been flooded with basaltic lava,[7] leaving a flat surface with a low albedo. There is a low ridge just to the northwest of the mid-point, and several tiny craters mark the floor surface.[6]: 43 

The crater is named after two Italian-born French astronomers: Giovanni Domenico Maraldi and Giacomo F. Maraldi. This 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 Maraldi.

Maraldi[6]: 305  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 20.0° N 36.3° E 8 km
D 16.7° N 36.1° E 67 km
E 17.8° N 35.8° E 31 km
F 19.2° N 35.8° E 18 km
N 18.4° N 36.8° E 5 km
R 20.3° N 33.2° E 5 km
W 13.2° N 36.1° E 4 km

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Maraldi". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Pike, R. J. (September 1976). "Crater Dimensions from Apollo Data and Supplemental Sources". The Moon. 15 (3–4): 463–477. Bibcode:1976Moon...15..463P. doi:10.1007/BF00562253.
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. pp. 110, 154–159. Reprint: ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3
  5. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  7. ↑ Evans, R. E.; El-Baz, Farouk (1973). "Geological Observations from Lunar Orbit". Apollo 17: Preliminary Science Report. NASA SP-330, 34-6 pages. Washington, D.C.: NASA. p. 28. Bibcode:1973NASSP.330...28E. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  8. ↑ Moore, Patrick; Rees, Robin (2014). Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 50–79. ISBN 978-1-139-49522-6.

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.
  • Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
  • Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
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