Nearch (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 58.5° S, 39.1° E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 76 km |
| Depth | 2.9 km |
| Colongitude | 323° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Nearchus |
Nearch is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon, to the southeast of Hommel crater. North of Nearch is the Vlacq crater, and to the northeast lies Rosenberger crater. The crater is 76 kilometers in diameter and 2.9 kilometers deep. It is from the Pre-Nectarian period, 4.55 to 3.92 billion years ago.[1]
The outer rim of Nearch has been worn by smaller impacts, and is overlaid by a few more significant craters along the eastern rim. The most notable of these is 'Nearch A', a 43-kilometer diameter crater that is intruding into the southeastern rim of Nearch. Small craters have also disrupted the rim to the north and west. The remainder of the rim is relatively intact, and retains its generally circular form.[2][3]
The inner walls of the crater slope down to a relatively level interior floor. This bottom floor is nearly featureless except for a few tiny craterlets scattered across the surface. In the southeast, the ejecta from 'Nearch A' has produced a slightly more irregular region.[2]
Nearch crater is named after Nearchus, a 4th century BC Greek navigator.[1]
[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 Nearch crater.[4]
| Nearch | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 60.1° S | 40.1° E | 43 km |
| B | 60.9° S | 35.8° E | 43 km |
| C | 62.2° S | 35.8° E | 41 km |
| D | 57.0° S | 38.0° E | 10 km |
| E | 61.4° S | 33.9° E | 11 km |
| F | 62.9° S | 37.9° E | 8 km |
| G | 63.3° S | 39.8° E | 5 km |
| H | 57.6° S | 40.6° E | 9 km |
| J | 57.6° S | 37.4° E | 7 km |
| K | 57.9° S | 35.3° E | 13 km |
| L | 58.4° S | 35.6° E | 18 km |
| M | 58.4° S | 35.0° E | 7 km |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
- ^ a b Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- ^ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- ^ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P., (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
