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Fracastorius is the lava-flooded remnant of an ancient lunar impact crater located at the southern edge of Mare Nectaris. To the northwest of this formation lies the crater Beaumont, while to the northeast is Rosse.
 Mosaic of Lunar Orbiter 4 images | |
| Coordinates | 21°12′S 33°00′E / 21.2°S 33.0°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 124 km |
| Depth | None |
| Colongitude | 327° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Girolamo Fracastoro |
The northern wall of this crater is missing, with only mounds appearing in the lunar mare to mark the outline. The lava that formed Mare Nectaris also invaded this crater, so the structure now forms a bay-like extension. The remainder of the rim is heavily worn and covered in lesser impact craters, leaving little of the original rim intact. The maximum elevation of the rim is 2.4 km. The most prominent of these craters is Fractastorius D, which overlies a portion of the western rim.
Fracastorius has no central peak, but a long, slender rille runs across the middle of the floor in a generally east–west direction.
The crater commemorates the Italian scholar, astronomer and poet Girolamo Fracastoro, "Fracastorius" (1478‑1553).[1]
Satellite craters
editBy convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Fracastorius.
| Fracastorius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 24.4° S | 36.5° E | 18 km |
| B | 22.5° S | 37.2° E | 27 km |
| C | 24.6° S | 34.6° E | 16 km |
| D | 21.8° S | 30.9° E | 28 km |
| E | 20.2° S | 31.0° E | 13 km |
| G | 21.2° S | 38.3° E | 16 km |
| H | 20.7° S | 30.6° E | 21 km |
| J | 20.8° S | 37.4° E | 12 km |
| K | 25.4° S | 34.7° E | 17 km |
| L | 20.6° S | 33.2° E | 5 km |
| M | 21.7° S | 32.9° E | 4 km |
| N | 23.2° S | 34.0° E | 10 km |
| P | 25.5° S | 33.3° E | 8 km |
| Q | 25.1° S | 33.2° E | 8 km |
| R | 23.8° S | 33.7° E | 5 km |
| S | 19.0° S | 31.9° E | 5 km |
| T | 19.8° S | 37.4° E | 14 km |
| W | 22.6° S | 35.7° E | 7 km |
| X | 23.0° S | 31.1° E | 7 km |
| Y | 23.0° S | 32.0° E | 12 km |
| Z | 24.8° S | 33.6° E | 9 km |
References
edit- ^ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | Fracastorius". usgs.gov. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 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 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.