Cardanus (crater)
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 13°12′N 72°24′W / 13.2°N 72.4°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 49.57[1] km |
| Depth | 1.3 km |
| Colongitude | 72° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Gerolamo Cardano |
Cardanus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the western part of the Moon, in the western part of the Oceanus Procellarum. It is a crater of Upper (Late) Imbrian age.[2] The surface is rich in pyroxene and feldspathic minerals.[3] Due to its location the crater appears very oval because of foreshortening, and it is viewed almost from the side.
Cardanus is distinctive for the chain of craters, designated Catena Krafft, that connect its northern rim with the crater Krafft to the north.[4] The outer rim is sharp-edged and somewhat irregular, with a hummocky outer rampart and terraces along parts of the inner wall. The crater floor has several small craterlets across its surface, and it has a low ridge near the midpoint. The floor surface is somewhat irregular in the southwest, but nearly featureless elsewhere.[5]: 55
To the southwest is the rille designated Rima Cardanus, a graben system in the mare that generally follows a northeasterly direction.[6] To the southeast, beyond the rille, is the small crater Galilaei. Southwest of Cardanus is Olbers.
This crater is named for Italian polymath Gerolamo Cardano. The designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]
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 Cardanus.
| Cardanus[5]: 294 | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 11.4° N | 73.8° W | 13 km |
| C | 11.3° N | 76.2° W | 14 km |
| E | 12.7° N | 70.7° W | 6 km |
| G | 11.5° N | 74.9° W | 8 km |
| K | 14.2° N | 76.8° W | 8 km |
| M | 14.9° N | 77.1° W | 9 km |
| R | 12.3° N | 73.4° W | 21 km |
References
- ^ a b "Cardanus". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ^ Wilhelms, Don E.; et al. (1987). The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office. See Table 11.2.
- ^ Mukherjee, Saumitra; et al. (September 2022). "Characterisation of surface topography and mineralogy of Cardanus and Krafft craters in the western Procellarum region of Moon". Journal of Earth System Science. 131 (3). id. 181. Bibcode:2022JESS..131..181M. doi:10.1007/s12040-022-01928-8.
- ^ Fitz-Gerald, B. (February 2014). "Topography of the Alphonsus and Arzachel area of the Moon". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 124 (1): 22–28. Bibcode:2014JBAA..124...22F.
- ^ a b Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- ^ Callihan, Melanie B.; Klimczak, Christian (April 2019). "Topographic expressions of lunar graben". Lithosphere. 11 (2): 294–305. Bibcode:2019Lsphe..11..294C. doi:10.1130/L1025.1.
Sources
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
