Petit (crater)
|
Oblique view of Petit from Apollo 11 | |
| Coordinates | 2°18′N 63°30′E / 2.3°N 63.5°ECoordinates: 2°18′N 63°30′E / 2.3°N 63.5°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 5 km |
| Depth | Unknown |
| Colongitude | 297° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Alexis T. Petit |
- Not to be confused with Pettit, another lunar crater.
Petit is a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater that is located on the northwestern edge of the Mare Spumans. The crater has a prominent ray system. The name is appropriate, since Petit means small in French. But it was actually named in honor of Alexis Thérèse Petit, a French physicist.
The crater lies to the south of the crater Townley, and east of Condon. Farther to the northwest is Apollonius. Petit was previously designated Apollonius W before being given a name by the IAU.
References
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