Coordinates | 57°30′N82°00′W / 57.5°N 82.0°W Coordinates: 57°30′N82°00′W / 57.5°N 82.0°W |
---|---|
Diameter | 125 km |
Depth | 3.2 km |
Colongitude | 86° at sunrise |
Eponym | Xenophanes |
Xenophanes is a lunar impact crater that is located along the northwestern limb of the Moon. It is nearly attached to Volta, a similar formation to the south-southwest. To the northeast is the smaller crater Cleostratus. Xenophanes is significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, hindering observation.
It is a worn and eroded crater with a battered outer rim that is overlaid by several smaller craters. The rim is a circular range of rugged, irregular ground that is notched in places along the inner wall. A chain of small craters lies along the northern and northeastern rim. At the west end, a pair of clefts in the rim nearly join the floor to the surface beyond. To the northeast, Xenophanes A is an impact crater with a sharp rim and a rough interior.
The interior surface is irregular, but sections have been resurfaced by basaltic lava. A pair of flooded crater rims lie along the southern and northeast sections of the interior. The interior is more level and less rough at the eastern end.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Xenophanes.
Xenophanes | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 60.1° N | 84.8° W | 42 km |
B | 59.4° N | 80.5° W | 15 km |
C | 59.6° N | 78.7° W | 8 km |
D | 58.6° N | 77.4° W | 12 km |
E | 58.1° N | 85.8° W | 12 km |
F | 56.7° N | 73.2° W | 24 km |
G | 56.9° N | 75.7° W | 7 km |
K | 58.7° N | 84.5° W | 13 km |
L | 54.8° N | 78.6° W | 21 km |
M | 54.8° N | 79.6° W | 9 km |
Doppler is a lunar impact crater named for Christian Doppler that is located at the southern edge of the walled plain Korolev, on the far side of the Moon. To the east are the craters Das and Galois. Farther to the southwest of Doppler is Mohorovičić.
Calippus is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the eastern edge of the rugged Montes Caucasus mountain range in the northern part of the Moon. It was named after Greek astronomer Callippus of Cyzicus. It lies to the southwest of the crater remnant Alexander, to the northwest of the Mare Serenitatis.
Becquerel is a lunar impact crater that lies in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This is an ancient and heavily worn formation that is now little more than an irregular buri in the surface. The outer rim has been worn and reshaped until it forms a rugged, mountainous region around the flatter interior.
Birkhoff is a giant lunar walled plain that is located on the far side of the Moon, in the northern hemisphere. This formation is an ancient impact site that has been heavily eroded, and the surface reshaped by multiple craters in the interior and along the rim. The outer wall is bordered by the craters Carnot to the south, Rowland along the west rim, and Stebbins to the north. Just to the northeast is van't Hoff.
Boltzmann is an old lunar impact crater that is located along the southern limb of the Moon, in the vicinity of the south pole. At this location the crater is viewed from the side from Earth, and so not much detail can be seen. It is located to the north of the walled plain Drygalski, and to the west of the crater Le Gentil.
De La Rue is the remnant of a lunar impact crater, or possibly several merged craters, creating a formation sometimes called a walled plain. It lies in the northeastern part of the Moon on the near side, and so appears foreshortened due to its location. This formation lies to the north-northwest of the prominent crater Endymion, just beyond the eastern extreme of Mare Frigoris. The crater Strabo intrudes into the northern part of De La Rue's northern rim, and the smaller Thales is attached to the northwestern part of the wall.
Fontenelle is a lunar impact crater that is located along the northern edge of Mare Frigoris, in the northern part of the Moon. To the northeast is the remnant of the crater Birmingham. Due to its location, this crater appears oval in shape when observed from the Earth because of foreshortening.
Fabry is a large lunar impact crater of the form termed a walled plain. It is located on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northeastern limb. Parts of this area are sometimes brought into view by the effects of libration, but the terrain is seen from the edge and so not much in the way of detail can be observed.
Bronk is an eroded crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, out of sight from the Earth. It lies to the southeast of the larger crater Kovalevskaya. Less than one crater diameter to the east-northeast is the smaller crater Bobone.
Cremona is a lunar impact crater that is located along the north-northwestern limb of the Moon. From the Earth this crater is viewed from the side, and the visibility is affected by libration effects. To be viewed in any detail, this crater must be seen or photographed from orbit. It is located midway between the crater Boole to the south-southeast and, on the far side of the Moon, the crater Lindblad.
Philolaus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern part of the Moon's near side. It lies within one crater diameter to the east-southeast of the flooded crater Anaximenes, and to the west of the smaller Anaxagoras. It overlies the older and heavily worn Philolaus C to the south.
Rayleigh is a lunar impact crater, approximately 114 kilometers in diameter, that lies along the northeast limb of the Moon. This feature is seen edge-on from Earth, making it difficult to see much detail. In addition, libration effects can completely hide this crater from view. It lies just to the north of Lyapunov, and to the northwest of the large Joliot. Attached to its southwest rim is the smaller Urey.
Riemann is a lunar impact crater that is located near the northeastern limb of the Moon, and can just be observed edge-on when libration effects bring it into sight. It lies to the east-northeast of the large walled plain Gauss. To the southeast, beyond sight on the far side, is the crater Vestine.
Volta is a lunar impact crater near the northwest limb of the Moon. It is located south-southeast of the crater Xenophanes, and due north of the smaller Galvani. The crater Regnault lies across the western rim of Volta. Attached to the southwest rim of Volta and the southern rim of Regnault is Stokes. Lying between Volta and Stokes in the north, and Galvani in the south, is the worn Langley.
Cleostratus is a lunar impact crater near the northwest limb of the Moon. It lies to the northeast of the crater Xenophanes, and west-southwest of the prominent Pythagoras. From the Earth this crater appears highly elongated due to foreshortening.
Catalán is a small lunar impact crater that lies almost along the southwest limb of the Moon. At this position the crater is ill-suited for observation from the Earth as it is viewed almost from the side, and visibility is subject to libration effects. It lies to the west of the somewhat larger crater Baade, and south-southeast of Graff. This region is located in the outer southeastern part of the skirt of ejecta that surrounds the Mare Orientale impact basin, and the nearby surface is rugged and streaky. This crater is named after the Spanish scientist Miguel Antonio Catalán Sañudo (1894–1957) for his contributions to spectroscopy, an important exploratory tool in astronomy.
Chebyshev is a large lunar impact crater that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The somewhat smaller crater Langmuir is intruding into the east-southeastern rim of Chebyshev, forming a chain of large craters with Brouwer on Langmuir's eastern rim.
d'Alembert is a large lunar impact crater located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon, to the northeast of the somewhat smaller walled plain Campbell. Astride the southwest rim of d'Alembert is Slipher. To the north is the crater Yamamoto, and to the south-southwest lies Langevin. This walled plain has the same diameter as Clavius on the near side, making it one of the largest such formations on the Moon.
Debye is a lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the Moon's far side, as seen from the Earth. It lies to the south of the crater Chappell, to the southwest of the walled plain Rowland, and to the east of D'Alembert.
Evershed is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, named after the English solar astronomer John Evershed. It is located to the northeast of the larger crater Cockcroft, and to the north of the smaller Van den Bergh.