Virtanen (crater)

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Crater characteristics
Coordinates	15.5° N, 176.7° E
Diameter	44 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	187° at sunrise
Eponym	Artturi I. Virtanen

Virtanen is a lunar crater that is located to the northeast of the larger Sharonov crater, and to the east of Anderson crater. Virtanen lies on the far side of the Moon, and it can not be viewed directly from the Earth.

This crater has a nearly circular rim, with a relatively narrow inner wall and a small rise near the interior mid-point. A small crater impact near the eastern rim lies at the focus of a small ray system that covers much of the Virtanen crater and surroundings. The rays and wispy in nature and somewhat asymmetrical, with the distribution being much more expansive to the west. At the origin of the rays is a bright patch of higher albedo surface.

[edit] Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Virtanen crater.