Saussure (crater)

Saussure (crater)
Diameter 54 km
Depth 1.8 km
Colongitude 187° at sunrise
Eponym Horace B. de Saussure

Saussure is a lunar crater. It is located in the crater-riddled terrain in the southern hemisphere of the Moon's near side. Just to the north and nearly attached to the rim is the larger crater Orontius. About a half crater diameter due west is the slightly larger crater Pictet. Just to the east is a curving ridge in the surface, possibly the remains of a crater that has been almost completely overlaid by Saussure.

The outer rim of Saussure is worn but relatively intact, with only the southern edge being somewhat disrupted. A small impact lies across the northeastern rim and a pair of craterlets along the western edge. The inner walls are relatively featureless, and slope down to the generally level interior floor. This bottom surface is marked only by a few tiny craters.

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 Saussure.

Saussure Latitude Longitude Diameter
A 43.8° S 0.5° W 19 km
B 42.2° S 3.9° W 5 km
C 44.8° S 0.6° W 16 km
Ca 45.2° S 0.5° W 16 km
D 46.9° S 0.2° E 20 km
E 44.7° S 2.1° W 12 km
F 44.3° S 4.6° W 4 km

References