Deluc (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
| Coordinates | 55.0° S, 2.8° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 47 km |
| Depth | 3.3 km |
| Colongitude | 4° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Jean-André Deluc |
Deluc is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southern highlands of the Moon. It is located to the south-southeast of Maginus crater, and the huge Clavius walled-basin. Due east of Deluc is the somewhat larger Lilius crater. It is 47 kilometers in diameter and 3.3 kilometers deep. It is from the Pre-Imbrian period, which lasted from 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago.[1]
This is a relatively worn formation with the satellite crater 'Deluc H' intruding into the northeast rim. A triangular bulge of material covers the floor from the rim of this intruding crater to near the mid-point of the interior. The small craterlet 'Deluc T' is attached to the southern outer rim of Deluc, and joins it to the small 'Deluc D to the south.[2]
The remaining rim of Deluc crater is not quite circular, having a slight outward bulge to the northwest. The interior is worn and smoothed from a history of tiny impacts, although the edge is still well-defined. There is a tiny craterlet in the northeast part of the interior, but most of the remainder of the floor is level and marked only by tiny impacts.[2]
The crater is named for Jean-André Deluc, an 18th century Swiss geologist and physicist.[1]
[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 Deluc crater.[3]
| Deluc | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 54.1° S | 0.4° W | 56 km |
| B | 52.0° S | 0.5° E | 38 km |
| C | 51.4° S | 0.9° E | 28 km |
| D | 56.4° S | 2.4° W | 27 km |
| E | 60.3° S | 4.3° W | 12 km |
| F | 60.0° S | 3.1° W | 38 km |
| G | 61.6° S | 0.7° E | 27 km |
| H | 54.2° S | 2.1° W | 26 km |
| J | 53.3° S | 4.1° W | 33 km |
| L | 60.8° S | 6.2° E | 8 km |
| M | 54.9° S | 6.2° W | 19 km |
| N | 60.6° S | 0.5° E | 10 km |
| O | 62.7° S | 4.4° W | 7 km |
| P | 58.9° S | 4.8° W | 7 km |
| Q | 59.0° S | 3.5° W | 5 km |
| R | 55.4° S | 0.6° E | 22 km |
| S | 61.9° S | 0.2° E | 6 km |
| T | 55.8° S | 3.1° W | 10 km |
| U | 59.0° S | 2.9° W | 5 km |
| V | 61.8° S | 1.7° E | 9 km |
| W | 61.6° S | 1.8° W | 6 km |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
- ^ a b Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- ^ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P., (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
