Pascal (crater)

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Crater characteristics
Coordinates	74.6° N, 70.3° W
Diameter	115 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	77° at sunrise
Eponym	Blaise Pascal

Pascal is a lunar crater that lies near the northern limb of the Moon, on the western side of the pole. It is located to the north of the eroded Desargues crater, and just east of the Brianchon crater. Pascal can be located by finding the Carpenter crater and then following the surface to the northwest toward the limb. However the visibility of this formation can be affected by libration.

This crater has undergone a degree of impact erosion that has left its features softened and rounded. The rim can still be followed around the perimeter, but it is no longer sharp-edged and the interior terraces have been all but worn away. Several craters lie across the outer rim, including the sharp-edged 'Pascal F' intruding into the northwest rim; a more worn 'Pascal A' intruding into the southwest, and the small, bowl-shaped 'Pascal G' along the southeast rim.

Within the wide inner walls is a nearly level interior floor that has been resurfaced by lava. At the mid-point is a low ridge, forming a minor central peak. There are tiny craters at the north end of the floor, and at the northeast end of the central ridge. There is also a small chain of craterlets lying across the northeast inner wall.

Just to the north of Pascal is 'Poncelet C', a satellite crater of the lava-flooded Poncelet to the east. The rim of this crater is bisected by several grooves in the surface, one of which crosses the southeast rim and cuts across tangentially to the northeast rim of Pascal crater.

[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 Pascal crater.

Pascal	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	72.9° N	74.6° W	28 km
F	75.6° N	75.6° W	27 km
G	73.0° N	65.7° W	14 km
J	72.2° N	69.0° W	14 km
L	73.8° N	63.0° W	15 km

[edit] References

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