Abulfeda (crater)

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Abulfeda Crater
Abulfeda crater 4089 h2.jpg
Coordinates 13°48′S13°54′E / 13.8°S 13.9°E / -13.8; 13.9
Diameter 62 km
Depth 3.1 km
Colongitude 346° at sunrise
Eponym Ismael Abul-fida
LRO WAC mosaic Abulfeda crater LRO WAC.jpg
LRO WAC mosaic
Abulfeda and Descartes craters
NASA Image Crater.descartes.png
Abulfeda and Descartes craters
NASA Image

Abulfeda is a lunar impact crater located in the central highlands of the Moon. To the northeast is the crater Descartes, and to the south-southeast is Almanon. To the north is the crater Dollond. A chain of craters named the Catena Abulfeda runs between the southern rim of Abulfeda and the north rim of Almanon, then continues for a length of 210 kilometers across the Rupes Altai. The crater was named for 14th century Kurdish historian Ismael Abul-fida. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Both the south and northeast sides of the crater rim are overlain by multiple small craterlets. The inner wall is noticeably wider in the east, and shallow and worn to the north. The crater floor has been resurfaced, either by ejecta from the Mare Imbrium or by basaltic lava, and is relatively smooth and featureless. The crater lacks a central rise at the midpoint, which may have been buried. The inner sides appear to have been somewhat smoothed down, most likely as a result of minor bombardment and seismic shaking from other impacts in the vicinity. [6] [7]

Abulfeda is a crater of Nectarian age. [8]

A crater chain along the southern rim of Abulfeda was considered for a landing site of an early Apollo mission, primarily because it was considered to be a typical highland site, and at the time, crater chains were thought to possibly be volcanic in nature (rather than of impact origin). [9]

Selenochromatic Image (Si) of the crater area Theophilus-Nectaris zone Si.jpg
Selenochromatic Image (Si) of the crater area

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 Abulfeda. [10]

AbulfedaLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A16.4° S10.8° E14 km
B14.5° S16.4° E15 km
BA14.6° S16.8° E13 km
C12.8° S10.9° E17 km
D13.2° S9.5° E20 km
E16.7° S10.2° E6 km
F16.2° S13.0° E13 km
G13.1° S9.0° E7 km
H13.8° S9.6° E5 km
J15.5° S10.0° E5 km
K14.9° S10.6° E10 km
L14.1° S10.7° E5 km
M16.2° S12.1° E10 km
N15.1° S12.2° E14 km
O15.4° S11.2° E7 km
P15.5° S11.5° E5 km
Q12.8° S12.3° E3 km
R12.8° S13.0° E7 km
S12.2° S13.3° E5 km
T14.8° S13.8° E7 km
U13.0° S13.8° E6 km
W12.5° S13.9° E5 km
X15.0° S14.0° E6 km
Y12.8° S14.1° E5 km
Z14.7° S15.2° E5 km

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References

  1. "Abulfeda". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. "Biographical Dictionary of the Archival and Documentation Site on Muslims". Archived from the original on 10 September 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  3. Abu-al-Fida at Encyclopaedia Britannica
  4. Helaine Selin (1997). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Netherlands: Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 7–8. ISBN   978-0-7923-4066-9.
  5. Identifiants et Référentiels Sudoc Pour L'Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche - Abū al-Fidā (1273-1331) (in French)
  6. 1 2 Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
  7. Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN   0-304-35469-4. p.207
  8. The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.
  9. El-Baz, Farouk, 1968. Geologoic Characteristics of the Nine Lunar Landing Mission Sites Recommended by the Group for Lunar Exploration Planing. Bellcomm, Inc. TR-68-340-1.
  10. Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-81528-2.