Mercator (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 29.3° S, 26.1° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 47 km |
| Depth | 1.8 km |
| Colongitude | 26° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Gerardus Mercator |
Mercator is a lunar crater that is located on the southwest edge of Mare Nubium, in the southwest part of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of Campanus crater, and the two are separated by a narrow, winding valley.
The Rupes Mercator fault is tangential with the northeastern outer rim of Mercator crater. The eastern edge of Palus Epidemiarum reaches the west rim of Mercator, and a rille from the Rimae Ramsden reaches the western rim at the site of the 'Mercator C' craterlet.
The rim of Mercator is only somewhat eroded, and several tiny craterlets lie on the west and eastern rims. The interior floor has been flooded by lava in the past, leaving a relatively smooth and featureless 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 Mercator crater.
| Mercator | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 30.6° S | 27.8° W | 9 km |
| B | 29.1° S | 25.1° W | 8 km |
| C | 29.1° S | 26.9° W | 8 km |
| D | 29.3° S | 25.3° W | 7 km |
| E | 30.0° S | 26.8° W | 5 km |
| F | 29.6° S | 26.8° W | 4 km |
| G | 31.1° S | 25.0° W | 14 km |
| K | 30.6° S | 22.7° W | 4 km |
| L | 30.7° S | 23.5° W | 4 km |
| M | 30.2° S | 23.6° W | 4 km |
[edit] References
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- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
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- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). Lunar Nomenclature. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
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- 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.
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- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
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