Apianus (crater)

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Apianus
Apianus crater 4101 h1.jpg
Coordinates 26°54′S7°54′E / 26.9°S 7.9°E / -26.9; 7.9 Coordinates: 26°54′S7°54′E / 26.9°S 7.9°E / -26.9; 7.9
Diameter 63.44 km
Depth 2.08 km
Colongitude 356° at sunrise
Eponym Petrus Apianus

Apianus is a lunar impact crater that is located on the rugged south-central highlands of the Moon. It is named after 16th century German mathematician and astronomer Petrus Apianus. [1] [2] It is located to the northeast of the crater Aliacensis, and to the northwest of Poisson. The worn crater Krusenstern is attached to the west-northwestern rim.

Contents

Description

The outer wall of the crater has been worn and eroded by subsequent impacts, and a pair of small craterlets overlay the rim to the southeast and northeast. The central crater is 63 kilometers in diameter and 2,080 meters deep. [1] The craterlet on the southeast rim, Apianus B, is a member of a cluster of co-joined craterlets that includes Apianus T and Apianus U. The interior floor of the central crater is relatively smooth and lacks a central peak, although the surface appears somewhat convex. Only a few tiny craterlets mark the surface. [3]

The crater is from the Nectarian period, 3.92 to 3.85 billion years ago. [1]

Satellite craters

Apianus crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1 Apianus lunar crater map.jpg
Apianus crater and its satellite craters taken from Earth in 2012 at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory with the telescopes Meade LX200 14" and Lumenera Skynyx 2-1

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Apianus. [4]

ApianusLatitudeLongitudeDiameterRef
A25.7° S6.6° E13.11 km WGPSN
B27.4° S9.0° E10.21 km WGPSN
C28.1° S10.5° E19.64 km WGPSN
D26.1° S10.7° E33.66 km WGPSN
E28.8° S8.2° E8.39 km WGPSN
F28.1° S6.4° E5.39 km WGPSN
G28.1° S7.7° E4.02 km WGPSN
H28.1° S8.7° E6.57 km WGPSN
J26.3° S8.6° E6.71 km WGPSN
K27.4° S9.3° E6.44 km WGPSN
L29.1° S10.9° E4.67 km WGPSN
M24.7° S10.3° E6.98 km WGPSN
N28.8° S9.9° E3.46 km WGPSN
P25.2° S9.2° E41.59 km WGPSN
R25.7° S8.9° E13.1 km WGPSN
S25.6° S8.5° E23.96 km WGPSN
T27.7° S9.5° E11.52 km WGPSN
U27.9° S9.0° E16.82 km WGPSN
V25.3° S10.5° E3.2 km WGPSN
W25.5° S7.4° E9.68 km WGPSN
X28.3° S7.1° E3.1 km WGPSN

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
  2. "Apianus (crater)" . Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  3. Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN   0-913135-17-8.
  4. Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-81528-2.