Rheita (crater)
 LRO mosaic | |
| Coordinates | 37°06′S 47°12′E / 37.1°S 47.2°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 70 km |
| Depth | 4.3 km |
| Colongitude | 314° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Anton M. S. of Rheita |
Rheita is a lunar impact crater located in the southwestern sector of the Moon. It was named after Czech astronomer and optician Anton Maria Schyrleus of Rheita.[1] It lies to the northeast of the crater Metius, and northwest of Young. The southwestern rim overlies the edge of Vallis Rheita, a long lunar valley stretching for over 200 kilometers on a line running northeast to southwest. At its widest the valley is 25 kilometers wide and a kilometer deep.
The rim of Rheita remains well-defined with a sharp lip and a terraced inner wall. The rim overlaps a slightly smaller crater to the east, and has a pair of small impact craters in the northern wall. The crater floor is flat and it has a central peak.
Rheita is a crater of Nectarian age.[2]
Satellite craters
[edit]By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Rheita. It has overlapping craters.
| Rheita | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 38.0° S | 50.0° E | 11 km |
| B | 39.1° S | 52.8° E | 21 km |
| C | 35.1° S | 44.2° E | 8 km |
| D | 39.1° S | 50.1° E | 6 km |
| E | 34.2° S | 49.1° E | 66 x 32 km |
| F | 35.4° S | 48.4° E | 14 km |
| G | 40.5° S | 54.3° E | 15 km |
| H | 39.8° S | 51.7° E | 7 km |
| L | 37.7° S | 52.9° E | 10 km |
| M | 35.5° S | 50.1° E | 25 km |
| N | 35.1° S | 49.5° E | 8 km |
| P | 37.9° S | 44.4° E | 11 km |
References
[edit]- ^ "Rheita (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
- ^ The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- 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. 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. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- 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.
