Lucretius (crater)

Lucretius
	LRO WAC image
Coordinates	8°12′S120°48′W / 8.2°S 120.8°W Coordinates: 8°12′S120°48′W / 8.2°S 120.8°W
Diameter	63 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	122° at sunrise
Eponym	Lucretius

Last updated August 08, 2019

Lucretius is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, within the outer skirt of ejecta that surrounds that impact feature. To the southwest of Lucretius lies Fridman.

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.

Hertzsprung is an enormous lunar impact crater, or impact basin, that is located on the far side of the Moon, beyond the western limb. In dimension, this formation is larger than several of the lunar mare areas on the near side. It lies in the northwestern fringe of the blast radius of the Mare Orientale impact basin. Nearby craters of note include Michelson across the northeast rim, Vavilov across the western rim, and Lucretius to the southeast.

This crater is a relatively fresh impact, as the formation is well-defined and the rim and interior remain nearly unscathed from impact erosion. The rim has an outward bulge along the western side, so that it is slightly wider in longitude than latitude. The inner walls display some terrace structures, and the interior floor is somewhat uneven in places.

To the northwest of Lucretius is a chain of craters called the Catena Lucretius. These extend for a distance of 271 km across the southern floor of Hertzsprung, and include a number of craters ranging up to 15–20 km in diameter.

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 Lucretius.

Lucretius	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
C	3.7° S	114.4° W	20 km
U	7.7° S	123.6° W	24 km

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Casatus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southern limb of the Moon. The north-northeast rim of the crater overlies a portion of the slightly larger crater Klaproth. Along the western rim, Casatus A intrudes somewhat into the interior, producing an inward-bowing rim. To the southeast of Casatus is Newton.

Demonax is a lunar impact crater near the southern limb of the Moon. This location makes the crater difficult to observe due to foreshortening. The crater is also illuminated at a very low angle, when it is in the sunlit side. Demonax lies just to the north of the crater Scott, one of the south polar formations. To the north-northwest is Boguslawsky.

Chappell is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the northern hemisphere just to the north of the crater Debye. This feature is located in a heavily bombarded section of the surface, and much of the outer rim of the crater is overlain by many smaller craters. The northern rim in particular has been almost completely disintegrated, while small craters also overlie the rim to the northwest and southeast. What remains of the rim forms a rounded, somewhat irregular edge to the crater depression.

Charlier is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. To the south-southeast is the larger crater Kovalevskaya, and northeast of Charlier is Perrine.

Chaucer is a lunar impact crater that is located to the west of the walled plain Hertzsprung, on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the northwest of the crater Vavilov and east of the Tsander–Kibal'chich crater pair. This is a circular crater with a slightly eroded outer rim. The interior floor is nearly featureless, with only a few tiny craterlets marking the surface. It is named after the writer Geoffrey Chaucer.

Douglass is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the crater Frost and south-southwest of the large walled plain Landau.

Evans is the remnant of a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the south-southwest of the immense walled plain Hertzsprung, and is located within that impact basin's broad skirt of ejecta. This material has overflowed the northern rim of Evans and the northern part of the interior floor. The southern rim is not as heavily damaged, although it is irregular, eroded, and overlain by a pair of small craterlets. The most intact part of the rim is the southeastern section.

Fersman is a large lunar impact crater on the Moon's far side. It lies to the east of the crater Poynting, and west-northwest of Weyl. To the south is the huge walled plain Hertzsprung.

Fowler is a large lunar impact crater that lies in the northern hemisphere on the Moon's far side. It lies to the south-southwest of the crater Esnault-Pelterie, and north of Gadomski. Overlying the eastern rim and intruding into the interior is Von Zeipel.

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.

Grigg is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies in the northern outskirts of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, to the southwest of the crater Fersman and southeast of Poynting. The rim of this crater is generally circular, with a small impact crater intruding into the eastern edge. A small crater fills the northwestern part of the interior floor.

Ioffe is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the south of the walled plain Hertzsprung, and is attached to the southwestern outer rim of Fridman. Only a short stretch of terrain separates Ioffe from Belopol'skiy to the southeast.

Kekulé is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies just to the west-southwest of the larger crater Poynting, on the edge of the ejecta skirt surrounding the walled plain Hertzsprung to the southeast.

Poynting is a large lunar impact crater located on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the north-northwest of the walled plain Hertzsprung, with the crater Fersman immediately to the east and Kekulé equally near to the west-southwest.

Kuo Shou Ching is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the northwestern part of the walled plain Hertzsprung, on the far side of the Moon. This is an oval-shaped crater that is elongated along the north–south axis. The rim edge is well-defined and not noticeably eroded. The inner walls are simple slopes that descend to the interior floor.

Wan-Hoo is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon's far side, and it cannot be seen directly from the Earth. It lies to the southwest of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, within the outer skirt of ejecta. Just to the south-southwest of Wan-Hoo is the larger crater Paschen, and a little over two crater diameters to the northwest is Sechenov.

Vavilov is a prominent impact crater that is located to the west of the walled plain Hertzsprung. It is located on the far side of the Moon and cannot be viewed directly from the Earth. About a crater diameter to the northwest is the smaller Chaucer, and farther to the southwest is Sechenov.

Michelson is a crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies along the northeastern outer rim of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, and to the southwest of the crater Kolhörster.

Sechenov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the huge walled plain Hertzsprung, and to the east-southeast of the crater Timiryazev. To the south-southeast of Sechenov lies Paschen.

References

Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
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Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
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McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report . Retrieved 2007-10-24.
Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763.
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Ewen Adair Whitaker was a British-born astronomer who specialized in lunar studies. During World War II he was engaged in quality control for the lead sheathing of hollow cables strung under the English Channel as part of the "Pipe Line Under The Ocean" Project (PLUTO) to supply gasoline to Allied military vehicles in France. After the war, he obtained a position at the Royal Greenwich Observatory working on the UV spectra of stars, but became interested in lunar studies. As a sideline, Whitaker drew and published the first accurate chart of the South Polar area of the Moon in 1954, and served as director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association.

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.

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

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LRO WAC image
Coordinates	8°12′S120°48′W / 8.2°S 120.8°W / -8.2; -120.8 Coordinates: 8°12′S120°48′W / 8.2°S 120.8°W / -8.2; -120.8
Diameter	63 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	122° at sunrise
Eponym	Lucretius