Rheita (crater)

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Rheita
Rheita LAC 114.jpg
LRO mosaic
Coordinates 37°06′S47°12′E / 37.1°S 47.2°E / -37.1; 47.2 Coordinates: 37°06′S47°12′E / 37.1°S 47.2°E / -37.1; 47.2
Diameter 70 km
Depth 4.3 km
Colongitude 314° at sunrise
Eponym Anton M. S. of Rheita
Lunar Orbiter 4 image Rheita crater 4064 h2 h3.jpg
Lunar Orbiter 4 image

Rheita is a lunar impact crater located in the southwestern sector of the Moon. It was named after Czech astronomer and optician Anton Maria Schyrleus of Rheita. [1] It lies to the northeast of the crater Metius, and northwest of Young. The southwestern rim overlies the edge of Vallis Rheita, a long lunar valley stretching for over 200 kilometers on a line running northeast to southwest. At its widest the valley is 25 kilometers wide and a kilometer deep.

The rim of Rheita remains well-defined with a sharp lip and a terraced inner wall. The rim overlaps a slightly smaller crater to the east, and has a pair of small impact craters in the northern wall. The crater floor is flat and it has a central peak.

Rheita is a crater of Nectarian age. [2]

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 Rheita. It has overlapping craters.

RheitaLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A38.0° S50.0° E11 km
B39.1° S52.8° E21 km
C35.1° S44.2° E8 km
D39.1° S50.1° E6 km
E34.2° S49.1° E66 x 32 km
F35.4° S48.4° E14 km
G40.5° S54.3° E15 km
H39.8° S51.7° E7 km
L37.7° S52.9° E10 km
M35.5° S50.1° E25 km
N35.1° S49.5° E8 km
P37.9° S44.4° E11 km

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References

  1. "Rheita (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.