Marius (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 11.9° N, 50.8° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 41 km |
| Depth | 1.7 km |
| Colongitude | 50° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Simon Marius |
Marius is a lunar crater located on the Oceanus Procellarum. The surface to the west and north of this crater contains a large number of lunar domes spread across an area over a hundred kilometers in diameter. The nearest named crater feature is Reiner to the southwest. Kepler crater is located to the east-southeast, and rays from that formation reach the rim of Marius.
The floor of Marius crater has been flooded by basaltic lava, and the surface is relatively smooth and flat. There is no central rise, but a small craterlet 'Marius G' lies in the northeast part of the floor. The crater rim is low and generally circular in form.
The area of this crater was one of the locations proposed for an Apollo mission, but the expedition was subsequently cancelled. About 50 kilometers to the southeast was the landing site of the Luna 7 probe.
[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 Marius crater.
| Marius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 12.6° N | 46.0° W | 15 km |
| B | 16.3° N | 47.3° W | 12 km |
| C | 14.0° N | 47.6° W | 11 km |
| D | 11.4° N | 45.0° W | 9 km |
| E | 12.1° N | 52.7° W | 6 km |
| F | 12.1° N | 45.3° W | 6 km |
| G | 12.1° N | 50.6° W | 3 km |
| H | 11.3° N | 50.3° W | 5 km |
| J | 10.5° N | 46.9° W | 3 km |
| K | 9.4° N | 50.6° W | 4 km |
| L | 15.9° N | 55.7° W | 8 km |
| M | 17.4° N | 54.9° W | 6 km |
| N | 18.7° N | 54.7° W | 4 km |
| P | 17.9° N | 51.3° W | 4 km |
| Q | 16.5° N | 56.2° W | 5 km |
| R | 13.6° N | 50.3° W | 5 km |
| S | 13.9° N | 47.1° W | 7 km |
| U | 9.6° N | 47.6° W | 3 km |
| V | 9.9° N | 48.3° W | 2 km |
| W | 9.4° N | 49.7° W | 3 km |
| X | 9.7° N | 54.9° W | 5 km |
| Y | 9.8° N | 50.7° W | 2 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.
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