Proclus (crater)

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Crater characteristics
Proclus crater from Apollo 15. Note the prominent ray system. NASA photo.
Coordinates	16.1° N, 46.8° E
Diameter	28 km
Depth	2.4 km
Colongitude	314° at sunrise
Eponym	Proclus Diadochus

Proclus is a young lunar impact crater located to the west of the Mare Crisium, on the east shore of the Palus Somni. It lies to the south of the prominent, terraced Macrobius crater, and west-northwest of the flooded crater Yerkes. Between Proclus and Yerkes, on the edge of the mare, are the Promontories named Olivium and Lavinium.

The rim of Proclus crater is distinctly polygonal in shape, having the shape of a pentagon, and does not rise very far above the surrounding terrain. It has a high albedo, being second only to Aristarchus crater in brightness. The interior wall displays some slumping, and the floor is uneven with a few small rises from slump blocks.

The crater has a notable ray system that extends for a distance of over 600 kilometers. The rays display an asymmetry of form, with the most prominent being rays to the northwest, north-northeast, and northeast. There is an arc with no ejecta to the southwest. These features suggest an oblique impact at a low angle.

[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 Proclus crater.

Proclus	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	13.4° N	42.3° E	15 km
C	12.9° N	43.6° E	10 km
D	17.5° N	41.0° E	13 km
E	16.6° N	40.9° E	12 km
G	12.7° N	42.7° E	33 km
J	17.1° N	44.0° E	6 km
K	16.5° N	46.2° E	16 km
L	17.1° N	46.4° E	9 km
M	16.4° N	45.2° E	8 km
P	15.3° N	48.7° E	30 km
R	15.8° N	45.5° E	28 km
S	15.7° N	47.9° E	18 km
T	15.4° N	46.7° E	21 km
U	15.2° N	48.0° E	13 km
V	14.8° N	48.3° E	19 km
W	17.5° N	46.2° E	7 km
X	17.7° N	45.1° E	6 km
Y	17.5° N	44.9° E	8 km
Z	17.9° N	44.7° E	6 km

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.

Proclus F — See Crile crater.

[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.
Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1852331933.