Calippus (crater)

Calippus
Mosaic of Lunar Orbiter 4 images
Coordinates38°54′N 10°42′E / 38.9°N 10.7°E / 38.9; 10.7
Diameter34.03 km (21.15 mi)[1]
Depth2.69 km (1.67 mi)[2]
Colongitude350° at sunrise
EponymCallippus

Calippus is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the eastern edge of the rugged Montes Caucasus mountain range in the northern part of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the crater remnant Alexander,[3] to the northwest of the Mare Serenitatis.

The outer rim of Calippus has an irregular appearance, with outward bulges to the northeast and particularly to the west where there is an interior shelf resembling slumped material.[4]: 26  This crater is large enough for slumping to occur, but the remainder of the inner wall is free of slumps.[5] The rim along the north to east edges has an altitude of over 2 km.[6]

The exterior has a slight rampart that is surrounded by the rugged terrain of the mountain range. Within the sharp-sided interior walls is a rough and irregular interior floor. This surface may have experienced extrusions.[5] Two instances of lunar transient phenomenon have been reported for this crater.[7]

To the southeast of this crater, on the edge of the Mare Serenitatis, is an arcing rille designated Rima Calippus. This cleft follows a path to the northeast for a length of about 40 kilometers.[8] A pyroclastic deposit has been identified in this area based on its low strength radar signature.[9]

This crater was named after Greek astronomer Callippus of Cyzicus (c. 370 B.C.).[1] His name was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by Italian astronomer Giovanni B. Riccioli in 1651, but he assigned it to the crater now known as Alexander.[10] The designation Callippus was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]

Satellite craters

Calippus crater and its 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 Calippus.[11]

Calippus[4]: 294  Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 37.0° N 7.9° E 16 km
B 36.0° N 10.0° E 7 km
C 39.6° N 9.1° E 40 km
D 36.3° N 11.3° E 4 km
E 38.9° N 11.9° E 5 km
F 40.5° N 10.0° E 6 km
G 41.3° N 11.5° E 4 km

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Calippus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ↑ Moutsoulas, M.; et al. (1981). "Morphological characteristics of lunar craters with moderate depth/diameter ratio I. (0.08 < d/D < 0.12)". Moon and the Planets. 25 (1): 54. Bibcode:1981M&P....25...51M. doi:10.1007/BF00911808. S2CID 128027510.
  3. ↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
  4. 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
  5. 1 2 Schultz, P. H. (September 1976). "Floor-Fractured Lunar Craters". The Moon. 15 (3–4): 241–273. Bibcode:1976Moon...15..241S. doi:10.1007/BF00562240.
  6. ↑ Singh, Jim (October 17, 2024). Lunar Giants: Identifying the Moon’s Highest, and Tallest, Mountains. Open Science Framework. doi:10.31219/osf.io/agpr4.
  7. ↑ Crotts, Arlin P. S. (April 30, 2009). "Transient Lunar Phenomena: Regularity and Reality". The Astrophysical Journal. 697 (1): 1–15. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/697/1/1.
  8. ↑ "Rima Calippus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Bruce A.; et al. (February 2014). "Improved discrimination of volcanic complexes, tectonic features, and regolith properties in Mare Serenitatis from Earth-based radar mapping". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 119 (2): 313–330. Bibcode:2014JGRE..119..313C. doi:10.1002/2013JE004486.
  10. ↑ Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 60, 211. 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.
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