Coordinates | 22°04′S79°41′E / 22.06°S 79.68°E |
---|---|
Diameter | 133.67 km (83.06 mi) |
Depth | Unknown |
Colongitude | 283° at sunrise |
Eponym | Hecataeus of Miletus |
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.
Hecataeus is a worn and eroded walled plain with wide inner walls. Its northern part overlies half of Hecataeus K, a fairly substantial crater. Along the southern rim, the outer rampart of ejecta from Humboldt forms a rugged interior surface across the southern floor. Several small, bowl-shaped craters lay across the eastern rim and inner wall. The western rim is much less damaged by impacts, although it is still eroded. The northern part of the interior floor is relatively featureless.
The crater was named after Hecataeus of Miletus by the IAU in 1935. [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 Hecataeus.
Hecataeus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 22.0° S | 81.6° E | 11 km |
B | 19.5° S | 75.6° E | 69 km |
C | 19.0° S | 73.2° E | 22 km |
E | 18.5° S | 72.8° E | 13 km |
J | 22.6° S | 80.8° E | 11 km |
K | 19.1° S | 79.8° E | 76 km |
L | 19.1° S | 79.0° E | 21 km |
M | 20.9° S | 84.1° E | 18 km |
N | 21.0° S | 80.8° E | 10 km |
Humboldt is a large lunar impact crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. Due to foreshortening this formation has an extremely oblong appearance. The actual shape of the crater is an irregular circle, with a significant indentation along the southeastern rim where the prominent crater Barnard intrudes. To the north-northwest of Humboldt is the large crater Hecataeus. Phillips is attached to the western rim. The rim of Humboldt is low, worn, and irregular in outline. The central peak forms a range on the crater floor. The floor surface contains a network of rilles forming a pattern of radial spokes and concentric arcs. There are also some dark patches located near the walls to the northeast, northwest, and southeast. There is a chain of craters leading from the northwest crater rim to a distance almost as long as the crater is wide. This formation is designated Catena Humboldt. Due to its location near the lunar limb, little detail was known about this crater until it was photographed by orbiting spacecraft.
Korolev is a large lunar impact crater of the walled plain or basin type. It is a basin of Nectarian age.
Apollo, also called the Apollo basin, is an enormous impact crater located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This formation dwarfs the large crater Oppenheimer that is located next to the western rim. The crater Barringer lies across the northern wall. To the southeast is the crater Anders, and Kleymenov is just to the east of the rim.
Birkhoff is a giant lunar walled plain that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the northern hemisphere. This formation is an ancient impact site that has been heavily eroded, and the surface reshaped by multiple craters in the interior and along the rim. The outer wall is bordered by the craters Carnot to the south, Rowland along the west rim, and Stebbins to the north. Just to the northeast is van't Hoff.
Cusanus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northeastern limb of the Moon. In this location the crater appears very foreshortened when observed from the Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration. The northern rim of Cusanus is nearly joined to the south-southeastern rim of the larger crater Petermann. To the west is Baillaud and to the southeast is Hayn.
Geissler is a small lunar impact crater that lies on the northern floor of the much larger walled plain Gilbert, near the eastern limb of the Moon. Just to the northeast of this crater, attached to the outer rim of Gilbert, is the crater pair of Weierstrass and Van Vleck.
Chebyshev is a large lunar impact crater that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The somewhat smaller crater Langmuir is intruding into the east-southeastern rim of Chebyshev, forming a chain of large craters with Brouwer on Langmuir's eastern rim.
Cori is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies less than one crater diameter to the north of the crater Baldet. To the northeast is the crater Grissom. It is named after Gerty Cori, the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize and the first woman to win the prize in the category Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
d'Alembert is a large lunar impact crater located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon, to the northeast of the somewhat smaller walled plain Campbell. Astride the southwest rim of d'Alembert is Slipher. To the north is the crater Yamamoto, and to the south-southwest lies Langevin. This walled plain has the same diameter as Clavius on the near side, making it one of the largest such formations on the Moon.
Carnot is a large crater in the northern part of the Moon's far side. It was named after Nicolas L. S. Carnot by the IAU in 1970.
Cooper is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the east of the large walled plain D'Alembert, and west-southwest of the crater Chappell.
Cyrano is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It lies due east of the huge walled plain Gagarin, and to the north of the somewhat smaller crater Barbier.
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.
Petermann is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northern limb of the Moon, on the eastern hemisphere. It is located about 10 kilometres to the north of the crater Cusanus. Due to its location, this crater appears significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, and its visibility can be affected by libration. To the west is Baillaud and to the southeast is Hayn.
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.
Chaplygin is a large lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of the huge walled plain Mendeleev, about midway between the craters Schliemann to the northeast and Marconi to the southwest. It is about the same size as Albategnius on the near side.
Gibbs is a lunar impact crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon. It is situated less than a crater diameter to the northeast of the larger crater Hecataeus. The crater chain Catena Humboldt passes to the south of Gibbs, following a line to the northeast. Due to its proximity to the limb, this crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, and visibility is subject to libration.
Delporte is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It overlies part of the northwestern rim of the huge walled plain Fermi, and the crater Litke is nearly attached to the southeastern rim.
Kibalʹchich is a crater on the Moon's far side. It lies to the northeast of the large walled plain Korolev, and is attached to the southeastern outer rim of the crater Tsander.
Schuster is a lunar impact crater that lies along the eastern rim of the much larger walled plain Mendeleev, on the far side of the Moon. To the east of Schuster is the crater Henderson, and to the southeast lies the large Chaplygin.