Flammarion (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Flammarion is a lunar
crater
on the south edge of Sinus Medii
. It is located between the crater Mösting
to the northwest and Herschel
to the southeast. The bowl-shaped Mösting A intersects the western rim of Flammarion.
The worn outer wall of Flammarion is broken in the northwest, and the remainder is eroded and damaged. The most intact section of the wall lies to the southeast. A rille
designated Rima Flammarion lies across the gap in the northwest rim, extending about 80 kilometers to the west-southwest. The crater floor has been flooded by lava
, and is relatively smooth with only a few scattered craterlets to mark the surface.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
on the south edge of Sinus Medii
Sinus Medii
Sinus Medii is a small lunar mare that is located at the intersection of the Moon's equator and prime meridian. As seen from the Earth, this feature is located in the central part of the Moon's near side, and it is the point closest to the Earth...
. It is located between the crater Mösting
Mösting (crater)
Mösting is a small lunar crater that is located in the southeastern fringes of the Mare Insularum. The ruined crater Sömmering lies to the northwest. To the southeast is the large crater-bay of Flammarion. Mösting has a terraced inner wall and a small central hill at the mid-point of the floor.To...
to the northwest and Herschel
Herschel (lunar crater)
Herschel is a lunar impact crater located just to the north of the walled plain Ptolemaeus. Just to the north is the flooded crater Spörer, and due east lies the disintegrated crater Gyldén...
to the southeast. The bowl-shaped Mösting A intersects the western rim of Flammarion.
The worn outer wall of Flammarion is broken in the northwest, and the remainder is eroded and damaged. The most intact section of the wall lies to the southeast. A rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
designated Rima Flammarion lies across the gap in the northwest rim, extending about 80 kilometers to the west-southwest. The crater floor has been flooded by lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, and is relatively smooth with only a few scattered craterlets to mark the surface.
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 Flammarion.| Flammarion | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1.9° S | 2.5° W | 4 km |
| B | 4.0° S | 4.5° W | 6 km |
| C | 2.0° S | 3.7° W | 5 km |
| D | 3.0° S | 4.8° W | 5 km |
| T | 2.9° S | 2.1° W | 34 km |
| U | 3.0° S | 1.4° W | 10 km |
| W | 2.1° S | 2.4° W | 7 km |
| X | 2.9° S | 3.0° W | 3 km |
| Y | 3.7° S | 3.2° W | 3 km |
| Z | 2.2° S | 1.4° W | 4 km |