Nearch (crater)

Nearch
	Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	58°30′S39°06′E / 58.5°S 39.1°E Coordinates: 58°30′S39°06′E / 58.5°S 39.1°E
Diameter	76 km
Depth	2.9 km
Colongitude	323° at sunrise
Eponym	Nearchus

Last updated April 27, 2019

Nearch is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon, to the southeast of the crater Hommel. North of Nearch is Vlacq, and to the northeast lies Rosenberger. The crater is 76 kilometers in diameter and 2.9 kilometers deep. It is from the Pre-Nectarian period, 4.55 to 3.92 billion years ago.^[1]

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.

The Moon, also known as Luna, is an astronomical body that orbits planet Earth and is Earth's only permanent natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest natural 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 outer rim of Nearch has been worn by smaller impacts, and is overlain by a few more significant craters along the eastern rim. The most notable of these is Nearch A, a 43-kilometer-diameter crater that intrudes into the southeastern rim of Nearch. Small craters have also disrupted the rim to the north and west. The remainder of the rim is relatively intact, and retains its generally circular form.^[2]^[3]

The inner walls of the crater slope down to a relatively level interior floor. This bottom floor is nearly featureless except for a few tiny craterlets scattered across the surface. In the southeast, the ejecta from Nearch A has produced a slightly more irregular region.^[2]

Nearch is named after Nearchus, a 4th-century BC Greek navigator.^[1]

Nearchus or Nearchos was one of the officers, a navarch, in the army of Alexander the Great. He is known for his celebrated voyage from the Indus river to the Persian Gulf following the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great, in 326–324 BC.

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 Nearch.^[4]

Nearch	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	60.1° S	40.1° E	43 km
B	60.9° S	35.8° E	43 km
C	62.2° S	35.8° E	41 km
D	57.0° S	38.0° E	10 km
E	61.4° S	33.9° E	11 km
F	62.9° S	37.9° E	8 km
G	63.3° S	39.8° E	5 km
H	57.6° S	40.6° E	9 km
J	57.6° S	37.4° E	7 km
K	57.9° S	35.3° E	13 km
L	58.4° S	35.6° E	18 km
M	58.4° S	35.0° E	7 km

Related Research Articles

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Hagecius is a lunar impact crater in the southeastern part of the Moon's near side. It was named after 16th century Czech naturalist Tadeáš Hájek. This crater forms a triangular formation with the craters Rosenberger to the north-northwest and Nearch to the west-northwest. Like both of these craters, Hagecius has undergone erosion from subsequent impacts, and its outer rim is worn and irregular. The southeastern rim in particular is overlaid by three smaller craters designated Hagecius C, B, and G.

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References

1 2 Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
1 2 Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
↑ Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
↑ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.

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[a-1] 1 2 Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.

[b-2] 1 2 Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.

[3] Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.

[4] Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	58°30′S39°06′E / 58.5°S 39.1°E / -58.5; 39.1 Coordinates: 58°30′S39°06′E / 58.5°S 39.1°E / -58.5; 39.1
Diameter	76 km
Depth	2.9 km
Colongitude	323° at sunrise
Eponym	Nearchus