Riccioli (crater)
| Coordinates | 3°00′S 74°18′W / 3.0°S 74.3°WCoordinates: 3°00′S 74°18′W / 3.0°S 74.3°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 146 km |
| Depth | 2.3 km |
| Colongitude | 75° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Giovanni B. Riccioli |
Riccioli is a large lunar impact crater located near the western limb of the Moon. It lies just to the northwest of the even larger and more prominent crater Grimaldi. To the southwest are the craters Hartwig and Schlüter that lie on the northeastern edge of Montes Cordillera, the ring-shaped range that surrounds Mare Orientale. Due to its location, Riccioli appears strongly foreshortened and is viewed almost from the side.
Riccioli has been heavily worn and eroded, most notably by ejecta from the impact that created the Orientale basin. This debris has created radial features towards the northeast. The ejecta has accumulated in ridges that are traverse to the radial features, particularly in the northeastern section of the floor. In the northern half of the interior, the dark covering of lava that previously resurfaced the floor is still visible. A system of rilles named the Rimae Riccioli lies across the interior, and is still visible despite the deposited ejecta. Named after an Italian Jesuit astronomer who was the first person to measure the rate of acceleration of a freely falling body.
[edit] Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Riccioli.
| Riccioli | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 0.6° N | 73.0° W | 31 km |
| CA | 0.6° N | 73.0° W | 14 km |
| F | 8.6° S | 73.9° W | 28 km |
| G | 1.3° S | 71.0° W | 15 km |
| H | 1.1° N | 74.9° W | 18 km |
| K | 2.2° S | 77.5° W | 43 km |
| U | 5.7° S | 72.8° W | 9 km |
| Y | 3.0° S | 73.2° W | 7 km |
[edit] References
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
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- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. http://host.planet4589.org/astro/lunar/. 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.
- 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 revision ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
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