LRO image | |
Coordinates | 39°30′S17°42′W / 39.5°S 17.7°W Coordinates: 39°30′S17°42′W / 39.5°S 17.7°W |
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Diameter | 64 km |
Depth | 2.7 km |
Colongitude | 19° at sunrise |
Eponym | Gottfried Heinsius |
Heinsius is an eroded lunar impact crater that lies in the southwestern part of the Moon. It is named after German astronomer Gottfried Heinsius. [1] It is located to the northwest of the prominent crater Tycho, and rays from that formation pass to the north and south of Heinsius as well as marking the rim and interior with material. To the south-southwest of Heinsius is the larger walled plain Wilhelm.
Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.
An impact crater is an approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet, moon, or other solid body in the Solar System or elsewhere, formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller body. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters typically have raised rims and floors that are lower in elevation than the surrounding terrain. Impact craters range from small, simple, bowl-shaped depressions to large, complex, multi-ringed impact basins. Meteor Crater is a well-known example of a small impact crater on Earth.
Earth's Moon is an astronomical body that orbits the planet and acts as its only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits. The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.
The southern part of this crater has been heavily damaged by subsequent impacts. Both Heinsius B and Heinsius C lie across the southern and southwestern rim, while Heinsius A is located in the southern interior floor. Together these three satellite craters form a triangular arrangement with the rims only separated by a few kilometers from each other. If Heinsius possessed a central peak, it is now covered by the outer rampart of Heinsius A.
The northern half of the rim is in better shape, although still worn and rounded due to impact erosion. There is a wide shelf along the northeastern inner wall. A small craterlet lies exactly on the northwestern rim. The northern interior floor is relatively level and featureless.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Heinsius.
Heinsius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 39.7° S | 17.6° W | 20 km |
B | 40.0° S | 18.6° W | 23 km |
C | 40.6° S | 17.9° W | 23 km |
D | 38.8° S | 20.7° W | 7 km |
E | 37.8° S | 19.5° W | 17 km |
F | 40.5° S | 19.7° W | 7 km |
G | 38.3° S | 14.5° W | 11 km |
H | 37.4° S | 18.5° W | 8 km |
J | 39.3° S | 20.4° W | 8 km |
K | 38.5° S | 18.5° W | 5 km |
L | 41.2° S | 18.4° W | 8 km |
M | 40.9° S | 15.3° W | 14 km |
N | 37.3° S | 14.7° W | 7 km |
O | 38.8° S | 14.8° W | 5 km |
P | 39.4° S | 13.8° W | 40 km |
Q | 39.9° S | 14.5° W | 35 km |
R | 40.2° S | 20.7° W | 5 km |
S | 39.6° S | 16.9° W | 7 km |
T | 39.7° S | 16.5° W | 7 km |
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
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