Gemma Frisius (crater)

Last updated
Gemma Frisius
Gemma Frisius crater 4095 h3.jpg
Coordinates 34°12′S13°18′E / 34.2°S 13.3°E / -34.2; 13.3
Diameter 88 km
Depth 4.7 km
Colongitude 347° at sunrise
Eponym Gemma Frisius
Crater area in Selenochromatic image (Si) Aldo Ferruggia-Maurolycus Si.jpg
Crater area in Selenochromatic image (Si)
Gemma Frisius + Goodacre - LROC - WAC.JPG

Gemma Frisius is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. It was named after Dutch physician Gemma Frisius. [1] It lies to the north of the walled plain Maurolycus, and southeast of the smaller crater Poisson. The crater Goodacre is attached to the northeast rim.

The outer wall of this crater has been heavily damaged by impacts, particularly along the north and west sides. The smaller satellite craters D, G, and H are attached to this damaged crater. As some observers have noted, this crater formation bears a certain resemblance to a paw print with these craters forming three of the toes and the crater Goodacre the fourth.

The southeastern rim of the crater is also worn, and the inner wall has slumped nearly a third of the distance across the interior floor. The remainder of the floor is relatively level and deep, with a central peak that is offset to the northwest of the midpoint.

Satellite craters

Gemma Frisius 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 GemmaFrisius lunar crater map.jpg
Gemma Frisius 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 Gemma Frisius.

Gemma
Frisius
LatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A35.8° S15.2° E68 km
B35.5° S17.1° E41 km
C35.6° S18.8° E35 km
D34.3° S10.9° E28 km
E37.2° S12.8° E19 km
F35.8° S10.3° E9 km
G33.2° S11.4° E37 km
H32.4° S12.2° E28 km
J35.1° S18.1° E12 km
K37.4° S11.0° E10 km
L34.8° S11.8° E6 km
M34.3° S12.5° E5 km
O32.5° S12.9° E6 km
P31.8° S12.8° E4 km
Q35.8° S14.8° E9 km
R37.1° S15.3° E5 km
S35.2° S15.1° E6 km
T34.9° S16.4° E8 km
U34.5° S16.8° E8 km
W36.9° S13.3° E15 km
X34.7° S15.8° E15 km
Y37.4° S13.5° E28 km
Z35.1° S9.6° E10 km

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayer (crater)</span> Lunar surface depression

Bayer is a lunar impact crater located in the southwest section of the moon, to the east of the crater Schiller. The rim of Bayer is slightly worn by erosion, but remains well-defined. There is an inner terrace, but the outer wall is intruded upon by nearby impacts. The most significant of these is Schiller H, which forms a ridge attached to the northwest rim of Bayer. The floor of Bayer is relatively flat and lacks a central peak. There is a small, but notable crater on the floor near the western wall. This crater has a breach in its northern rim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurolycus (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Maurolycus is one of the more prominent lunar impact craters in the southern highland region of the Moon that is covered in overlapping crater impacts. It was named after 16th century Italian mathematician Francesco Maurolico. It is joined at the southeast rim by the smaller crater Barocius. Due west lie the overlapping pair of Stöfler and Faraday. To the northeast is the faint crater Buch, and further to the north lies Gemma Frisius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biela (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Biela is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged highlands of the southeastern Moon. It is named after Austrian astronomer Wilhelm von Biela. The crater lies to the east of Rosenberger, to the southeast of the Watt–Steinheil double crater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkeland (lunar crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Birkeland is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This crater is attached to the central waist of the oddly shaped Van de Graaff crater formation, and may partly account for that crater's figure-8 shape. To the southeast is the large walled plain Leibnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poisson (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Poisson is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern highlands of the Moon's near side. It was named after French mathematician Siméon Denis Poisson. It lies to the east of the crater Aliacensis and northwest of Gemma Frisius. To the northwest of Poisson is Apianus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hecataeus (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Hecataeus is a large lunar impact crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon. It is attached to the northern rim of the walled plain Humboldt. To the northeast is the smaller crater Gibbs. East of Hecataeus is a chain of small craters forming a line radial to Humboldt; these are designated the Catena Humboldt, named after the walled plain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clairaut (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Clairaut is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon's near side. It lies directly to the south of the crater Maurolycus and southeast of Barocius. Just to the southwest is Cuvier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cajori (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Cajori is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the walled plain Von Kármán, and to the east-southeast of the crater Chrétien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapman (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Chapman is a lunar impact crater that lies just beyond the northwest rim of the Moon, on the far side as seen from the Earth. It lies to the northeast of the crater Rynin, and southward of the large walled plain Poczobutt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyson (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Dyson is a lunar impact crater, 63 kilometers in diameter, that lies on the far side of the Moon, past the northwest limb. It is located in the northern part of the surface, to the northwest of the crater Coulomb, and east of van't Hoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curie (lunar crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Curie is a large lunar impact crater, much of which lies on the far side of the Moon as seen from the Earth. The western rim projects into the near side of the Moon, as defined by the selenographic coordinate system. However the visibility of this formation depends on the effects of libration, so that it can be brought fully into view or completely hidden depending on the orientation of the Moon. When visible, however, it is seen nearly from the side, limiting the amount of detail that can be observed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandler (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Chandler is a lunar impact crater in the northern hemisphere, on the Moon's far side. It lies to the southeast of the large walled plain D'Alembert, and southeast of the slightly smaller Chernyshev crater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comstock (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Comstock is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the northeast of the walled plain Fersman, and north of the crater Weyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faye (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Faye is a heavily eroded lunar impact crater in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. It is named after French astronomer Hervé Faye. It is attached to the northeastern rim of the crater Delaunay, with Donati located just a few kilometers to the northeast. It forms part of a chain of craters of increasing size to the southwest that continues with La Caille and ends with the walled plain Purbach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodacre (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Goodacre is a lunar impact crater. It is located in the rugged southern highlands on the Moon's near side, and is attached to the north-northeastern part of the exterior of Gemma Frisius, a heavily worn and much larger formation. About two crater diameters to the north of Goodacre lies Pontanus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donner (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Donner is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the northeast of the Mare Australe, behind the southeastern limb of the Moon. During favorable librations this part of the lunar surface can be brought into view of the Earth, but the site is viewed from the edge and so not much detail can be seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edison (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Edison is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just behind the north-northeastern limb of the Moon, a region that is sometimes brought into sight from Earth during favorable librations. However even at such times not much detail can be discerned, and the crater is better observed by orbiting spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emden (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Emden is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It is named after Jacob Robert Emden (1862-1940).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finsen (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Finsen is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere, on the Moon's far side. It is attached to the southeastern exterior of the walled plain Leibnitz, and the ejecta from Finsen covers the southeastern part of Leibnitz's interior floor. To the southwest of Finsen is another walled plain, Von Kármán, partly overlain by Leibnitz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fridman (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

Fridman is the remains of a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies due south of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, and is attached to the northeastern rim of the crater Ioffe.

References

  1. "Gemma Frisius (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.