Cepheus (crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crater characteristics | |
Coordinates | 40.8° N, 45.8° E |
---|---|
Diameter | 40 km |
Depth | 2.8 km |
Colongitude | 315° at sunrise |
Eponym | Cepheus, a King of Aethiopia |
Cepheus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northeastern part of the Moon, within one crater diameter of the larger Franklin crater to the southeast. To the north-north-east is the faint Oersted crater formation. The proximity of this formation to the lunar limb means it appears oblong when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening.
This is a relatively young formation, and the rim is still sharp and well-defined. The exception is an even younger, bowl-shaped crater that lies across the northeast rim'. This is a satellite crater designated 'Cepheus A'. The remaining rim is nearly circular, with outward bulges to the north and south. The inner wall is terraced in places, most notably along the northwest wall. There is a central peak formation at the mid-point of the floor which stretches somewhat to the north and south.
[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 Cepheus crater.
Cepheus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 41.0° N | 46.5° E | 13 km |
[edit] References
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). Lunar Nomenclature. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by The Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews 12: 136.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521335000.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 6th revision, Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1852331933.