Icarus (crater)

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Icarus
Icarus crater 2033 med.jpg
Coordinates 5°18′S173°12′W / 5.3°S 173.2°W / -5.3; -173.2 Coordinates: 5°18′S173°12′W / 5.3°S 173.2°W / -5.3; -173.2
Diameter 96 km
Depth Unknown
Colongitude 174° at sunrise
Eponym Icarus
Oblique view of Icarus, facing south, from Apollo 11. Note that the central peak of the crater is illuminated, demonstrating that it is higher than the rim. Icarus crater AS11-44-6606.jpg
Oblique view of Icarus, facing south, from Apollo 11. Note that the central peak of the crater is illuminated, demonstrating that it is higher than the rim.
Oblique view from Apollo 17 Icarus crater AS17-162-24106.jpg
Oblique view from Apollo 17

Icarus is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side. It is located to the west of the huge walled plain Korolev, and less than two crater diameters to the east of the crater Daedalus. To the south of Icarus is the smaller Amici.

Icarus has a worn rim and a relatively wide inner wall. A small crater lies across the southern rim, and the side bulges outward slightly along the southwestern face. There is a disproportionately tall central peak located near the crater midpoint. This rise is unusual in that it is taller than the outer rim; most peaks are only about half the crater depth. The remainder of the floor is relatively flat in the eastern half and slightly more irregular to the west.

Icarus was named by the Apollo 15 crew. Composer Ralph Towner made a tune called Icarus which was released in an album of the Paul Winter consort. One member of the consort was cellist David Darling, whose brother-in-law was astronaut Joseph P. Allen. Allen served as mission scientist while a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 15. He gave the Apollo 15 crew a tape of the Paul Winter consort. the Apollo 15 crew named two moon craters after Ralph Towner's compositions "Ghost Beads" and "Icarus". [1] [2]


Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Icarus.

IcarusLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
D4.3° S171.2° W68 km
E5.2° S168.8° W12 km
H7.8° S169.4° W32 km
J7.3° S170.9° W32 km
Q7.8° S176.2° W41 km
V3.9° S176.0° W36 km
X2.2° S175.5° W43 km

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References

  1. "The Consort". Paulwinter.com. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
  2. "Now he's over the moon about Icarus". The Sydney Morning Herald . 2002-11-25. Retrieved 2019-08-11.