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Coordinates | 26°42′N13°06′W / 26.7°N 13.1°W |
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Diameter | 34 km |
Depth | 3.1 km |
Colongitude | 13° at sunrise |
Eponym | Timocharis |
Timocharis is a prominent lunar impact crater located on the Mare Imbrium. It was named after ancient Greek astronomer Timocharis. [1] The closest crater of comparable dimensions is Lambert to the west. The smaller craters Feuillée and Beer lie to the east of Timocharis.
The rim of Timocharis has a somewhat polygonal outline, with an outer rampart that extends over 20 kilometers in all directions. The interior wall is slumped and sharply terraced. The center of the floor is occupied by a craterlet that lies on a slight rise. This impact has almost completely removed the original central peak. The crater may have a minor ray system that extends for over 130 km (81 mi).
The crater is likely to have been formed in the Eratosthenian, between 3.2 and 1.1 Billion years ago, as it lacks a prominent ray system, but has not been significantly eroded by impacts. [2] [3]
Timocharis is a potential target for lunar exploration due to its young age, which may give information on the formation of central peak craters elsewhere on the lunar surface. [2]
To the north of Timocharis is a tiny crater chain named the Catena Timocharis. THere are also a number of smaller craters in the immediate vicinity - notably Heinrich , Landsteiner, and Pupin.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Timocharis.
Timocharis | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
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B | 27.9° N | 12.1° W | 33.5 km |
C | 24.8° N | 14.2° W | 33.2 km |
D | 23.8° N | 15.1° W | 32.7 km |
E | 24.6° N | 17.1° W | 32.6 km |
H | 23.6° N | 16.6° W | 32.1 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
Pupin is a tiny lunar impact crater located in the eastern part of the Mare Imbrium. It was named after Serbian-American physicist Mihajlo Pupin. It lies to the southeast of the crater Timocharis, and was identified as Timocharis K prior to being renamed by the IAU. The mare near Pupin is otherwise devoid of significant impact craters, and is nearly featureless except for a faint dusting of ray material.
Bayer is a lunar impact crater located in the southwest section of the moon, to the east of the crater Schiller. The rim of Bayer is slightly worn by erosion, but remains well-defined. There is an inner terrace, but the outer wall is intruded upon by nearby impacts. The most significant of these is Schiller H, which forms a ridge attached to the northwest rim of Bayer. The floor of Bayer is relatively flat and lacks a central peak. There is a small, but notable crater on the floor near the western wall. This crater has a breach in its northern rim.
Ångström is a small lunar impact crater located on the border between Oceanus Procellarum to the west and Mare Imbrium to the east. To the south is a formation of mountains rising out of the mare named the Montes Harbinger. To the east are some wrinkle ridges named the Dorsum Bucher and Dorsa Argand. This crater is bowl-shaped, with a circular rim and inner walls that slope down to the small central floor. It has a higher albedo than the surrounding maria. The crater halo is radar dark, indicating a lack of larger blocks among the fine ejecta.
Beer is a relatively small lunar impact crater located on the Mare Imbrium, to the east of the crater Timocharis. It was named after German astronomer Wilhelm W. Beer. Just to the northwest is the matching twin Feuillée.
Landsteiner is a tiny, bowl-shaped lunar impact crater located in the central Mare Imbrium. It was named after Austrian-American pathologist and Nobel laureate Karl Landsteiner. It is a circular, cup-shaped feature with no appreciable erosion. Nearby to the south is a low wrinkle ridge named the Dorsum Grabau. Farther south is the prominent crater Timocharis.
Sampson is a relatively tiny lunar impact crater located near the central part of the Mare Imbrium. It was named after British astronomer Ralph Allan Sampson. To the northeast is the crater Landsteiner and to the southeast lies Timocharis. East of this crater is the Dorsum Grabau, a wrinkle ridge in the mare.
Euclides is a small lunar impact crater located near the eastern edge of Oceanus Procellarum, about 30 kilometers to the west of the Montes Riphaeus mountains. The mare in the vicinity is devoid of significant craters, but to the west is an area of low rises. The crater is named after the Greek mathematician Euclid.
Boguslawsky is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southern lunar limb, to the northwest of the slightly larger crater Demonax, and southwest of the concentric crater Boussingault. Due to its location, this crater appears very oblong in shape because of foreshortening.
Diophantus is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southwestern part of the Mare Imbrium. It was named after ancient Greek mathematician Diophantus. It forms a pair with the larger crater Delisle to the north. Diophantus has a wide inner wall and a low central rise. To the north of Diophantus is the sinuous rille designated Rima Diophantus, named after the crater. Diophantus C lies near the exterior of the southwest wall.
Lambert is a lunar impact crater on the southern half of the Mare Imbrium basin. It was named after Swiss polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert. It lies to the east and somewhat south of the slightly larger crater Timocharis. To the south is the smaller Pytheas, and some distance to the west-southwest is Euler.
Arrhenius is a lunar impact crater that is located just on the far side of the Moon, near the southwest limb. In this location the vicinity of the crater can be viewed during favorable librations, although it is viewed from on edge. To the south-southeast is the worn crater Blanchard, and De Roy lies further to the west.
Artemʹev is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. The rim of this crater has been modified by subsequent impacts in the vicinity, with an inward bulge along the southwest edge and a worn impact lying across the north rim. The satellite crater Artemʹev G is partly overlain by the southeast rim of Artemʹev. The crater interior is relatively flat, and marked only by tiny craterlets.
Boss is a lunar impact crater that is located along the northeast rim of the Moon's near side. Due to its location, the crater is viewed from the side by observers on the Earth, and its visibility is subject to libration effects.
Crommelin is an ancient lunar impact crater that is located in the vicinity of the south pole of the Moon, on the far side. It lies to the north of the large crater Zeeman, and to the east-northeast of Numerov.
Brashear is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, in the southern hemisphere in the vicinity of the south pole. The crater is named after the American astronomer John A. Brashear. It lies just to the south of the walled plain Antoniadi, within the larger crater's outer rampart of ejecta. To the northeast besides Antoniadi is the crater Numerov, and southeast lies the younger De Forest.
Brouwer is a large lunar impact crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. Intruding into the western rim of Brouwer is the younger and somewhat smaller crater Langmuir. Further to the east-southeast is the larger walled plain Blackett.
Heinrich is a small lunar impact crater on the Mare Imbrium, a lunar mare in the northwest quadrant of the Moon's near side. It was named after Czechoslovakian astronomer Wladimir Wáclav Heinrich. It is a circular, bowl-shaped formation very similar to many other craters of comparable size on the Moon.
Dove is a small lunar impact crater located in the rugged lunar highlands in the southeastern part of the Moon. It lies to the north of the prominent crater Pitiscus. The crater is named after Prussian physicist Heinrich Wilhelm Dove.
Danjon is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies less than a crater diameter to the east-southeast of the larger crater Langemak. To the east-northeast of Danjon is the crater Perepelkin, and due south lies the walled plain Fermi.
Fesenkov is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the east-southeast of the prominent crater Tsiolkovskiy, and less than a crater diameter to the north of Stark.