Cyrillus (crater)

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Cyrillus
Cyrillus crater 4084 h2.jpg
Coordinates 13°12′S24°00′E / 13.2°S 24.0°E / -13.2; 24.0
Diameter 98 km
Depth 3.6 km
Colongitude 335° at sunrise
Eponym Saint Cyril
Selenochromatic Image (Si) of the crater location Theophilus-Nectaris zone Si.jpg
Selenochromatic Image (Si) of the crater location

Cyrillus is a lunar impact crater located on the northwest edge of Mare Nectaris. Intruding into the northeast rim is the slightly larger, and younger crater Theophilus. To the south is another prominent crater named Catharina. Together these three craters form a prominent trio in the southeast quadrant of the Moon. To the northwest is Ibn-Rushd. Cyrillus is named after Saint Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th-century Patriarch and theologian. [1]

The floor of Cyrillus contains a reduced central hill and the considerable crater Cyrillus A. The walls of the broken formation of Cyrillus remain intact until the point of junction with Theophilus. [2] Slightly northeast of its center, three rounded mountains rise to heights of 1,000 metres above Cyrillus' floor: Cyrillus Alpha, Delta, and Eta. [3]

A tiny crater with bright rays on the east side of Cyrillus has been named Shioli. [4] A point to the east of Shioli is the proposed landing site of Japan's SLIM lander. [5] [6] [7]

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 Cyrillus. [8]

CyrillusLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A13.8° S23.1° E17 km
C12.3° S21.5° E12 km
E15.8° S25.3° E11 km
F15.3° S25.5° E44 km
G15.6° S26.6° E8 km

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.

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Hypatia is a lunar impact crater along the northwest edge of Sinus Asperitatis, a bay on the southwest edge of Mare Tranquillitatis. It was named after Egyptian mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria. The nearest crater with an eponym is Alfraganus to the west-southwest. However, farther to the south-southeast, across the lunar mare, is the prominent crater Theophilus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibn Battuta (crater)</span> Crater on the Moon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kant (crater)</span> Lunar impact crater

Kant is a small lunar impact crater that is located to the northwest of the prominent crater Cyrillus and the comparably sized Ibn Rushd. To the northwest is Zöllner, and to the east is Mons Penck. This last feature forms a mountainous promontory reaching a height of about 4 km. The crater is named after the German philosopher Immanuel Kant.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mons Penck</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shioli (crater)</span> Feature on the moon

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References

  1. "Cyrillus (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN   0-304-35469-4. p. 81, 209
  3. Grego, Peter (2005). Moon Observer's Guide. Springer. ISBN   1-85233-748-6. p. 207
  4. "Cyrillus (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  5. Moon Monday #144: On the most precise planetary landing attempt by SLIM, sprawling SLS rocket costs, and more, Jatan’s Space, SEP 11, 2023.
  6. SLIM, JAXA webiste in Japanese
  7. On the Way to Shioli Crater, LROC image team, Posted by Mark Robinson on November 07, 2023 18:51 UTC.
  8. Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-81528-2.