Galois (crater)

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Crater characteristics
Coordinates	14.2° S, 151.9° W
Diameter	222 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	156° at sunrise
Eponym	Évariste Galois

Galois is a large lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. Features of this class are commonly termed walled-plains, due to their appearance and dimension. It is located just to the southeast of the huge Korolev walled-plain, a formation early double the diameter of Galois. Several hundred kilometers due south is another enormous feature, the Apollo walled-plain.

This is a heavily eroded feature with a rim that has been reshaped by impacts, particularly along the northwest edge where it lies near Korolev. An influx of material forms an inward bulge along the southern edge, which is impacted by 'Galois Q'. The interior floor is also overlaid by several notable craters, with the craters 'Galois A' and 'Galois L' forming a nearly matching pair near the mid-point. Along the northeastern rim are 'Galois B' and 'Galois C', while 'Galois U' lies against the northwestern inner wall. The most intact and nearly level section of floor is along the southwestern part of the interior.

A small, unnamed impact crater located along the northeastern rim of Galois has a relatively high albedo and lies at the focus of a small ray system. The rays from this impact are the most prominent to the north, where they cross the floor of Mechnikov crater. Craters that have a ray system are considered indicative of a relatively recent impact, as the rays are steadily erased by space weathering.

[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 Galois crater.

Galois	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	14.0° S	152.5° W	54 km
B	11.3° S	151.8° W	20 km
C	12.4° S	150.5° W	22 km
F	13.9° S	146.4° W	13 km
H	15.2° S	150.9° W	19 km
L	15.5° S	152.0° W	51 km
M	16.1° S	152.4° W	18 km
Q	15.2° S	154.7° W	132 km
S	14.5° S	154.9° W	18 km
U	13.2° S	154.7° W	35 km

[edit] References

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