Astronomy:Fabricius (crater)

From HandWiki
Revision as of 14:52, 30 June 2023 by Steve Marsio (talk | contribs) (correction)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Short description: Crater on the Moon
Fabricius
Fabricius crater 4076 h2.jpg
Diameter78.9 km (49.0 mi)
Depth2.5 km
Colongitude319° at sunrise

Fabricius is a lunar impact crater that is located within the northeast part of the walled plain Janssen. Attached to the north-northwest rim is the slightly larger crater Metius. Fabricius has multiple central peaks that rise to 0.8 km, with a rugged rise to the northwest running north–south. The rim is lumpy and somewhat distended, most noticeably to the southwest and south.[1] It is 78 kilometers in diameter and 2,500 meters deep. It is from the Eratosthenian period, 3.2 to 1.1 billion years ago.[2] It is named after David Fabricius, a 16th-century Germany astronomer.[3]

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 Fabricius.<ref>{{cite book

Fabricius Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 44.6° S 44.0° E 45 km
B 43.6° S 44.9° E 17 km
J 45.8° S 45.2° E 16 km

References

  1. Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. 1990. ISBN 0-913135-17-8. 
  2. The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 12.2.
  3. "Fabricius (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.