Epimenides (crater)

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Epimenides

Epimenides and Epimenides S crater 4136 h2.jpg

Lunar Orbiter 4 image, with Epimenides at top and Epimenides S at bottom
Coordinates 40°54′S30°12′W / 40.9°S 30.2°W / -40.9; -30.2 Coordinates: 40°54′S30°12′W / 40.9°S 30.2°W / -40.9; -30.2
Diameter 27 km
Depth 2.0 km
Colongitude 30° at sunrise
Eponym Epimenides

Epimenides is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southwestern part of the Moon's near side, just to the east of the oddly shaped crater Hainzel. Just to the north and northeast is Lacus Timoris, a small lunar mare. The crater is 27 kilometers in diameter and 2,000 meters deep. It may be from the Pre-Nectarian period, 4.55 to 3.92 billion years ago. [1]

Lunar craters craters on Earths moon

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, almost all of which were formed by impacts.

Impact crater Circular depression on a solid astronomical body formed by a hypervelocity impact of a smaller object

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.

Moon Earths natural satellite

The Moon 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 this crater is roughly circular, but uneven due to the irregular terrain in which it is located. The southern edge is distended where a smaller formation has overlapped the side. The interior floor is relatively level and featureless. About five kilometers southeast from the crater's southern edge is the satellite crater Epimenides S, which is almost the same size as the main crater and is nearly circular, except for a craterlet making an indentation in its eastern side. [2]

The crater is named for the 6th-century BC Cretan poet and prophet Epimenides. [1]

Crete The largest and most populous of the Greek islands

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete and a number of surrounding islands and islets constitute the region of Crete, one of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece. The capital and the largest city is Heraklion. As of 2011, the region had a population of 623,065.

Epimenides Ancient Greek poet and philosopher

Epimenides of Cnossos was a semi-mythical 7th or 6th century BC Greek seer and philosopher-poet.

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 Epimenides. [3]

Epimenides LatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A43.2° S30.1° W15 km
B41.6° S28.8° W10 km
C42.3° S27.5° W4 km
S41.6° S29.3° W26 km

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Firsov (crater) lunar crater

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Pavlov (crater) lunar crater

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Strömgren (crater) lunar crater

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References

  1. 1 2 Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
  2. Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN   0-913135-17-8.
  3. Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-81528-2.