Apollonius (crater)
Encyclopedia
Apollonius is a lunar
crater
located near the eastern limb of the Moon
. It lies in the region of uplands to the west of Mare Undarum
and northeast of the Sinus Successus
on the Mare Fecunditatis
. It is southwest of the crater Firmicus
, and north of Condon
.
The outer rim of Apollonius is somewhat worn and is overlain by a pair of small craters (including Apollonius E) across the western wall. The nearly flat interior floor has a low albedo
and has been covered by lava
. It lacks a central peak or notable small craters across the bottom.
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU
.
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...
located near the eastern limb of the Moon
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...
. It lies in the region of uplands to the west of Mare Undarum
Mare Undarum
Mare Undarum is an uneven lunar mare located just north of Mare Spumans on the lunar near side, between the crater Firmicus and the eastern limb. It is one of the many elevated lakes contained in the Crisium basin, surrounding Mare Crisium. The selenographic coordinates of this mare are 6.8° N,...
and northeast of the Sinus Successus
Sinus Successus
The lunar feature Sinus Successus lies along the eastern edge of Mare Fecunditatis. It is an outward bulge that forms a type of bay. The selenographic coordinates of Sinus Successus are 0.9° N, 59.0° E, and the diameter is 132 km.Along the eastern edge of the bay is the flooded crater Condon,...
on the Mare Fecunditatis
Mare Fecunditatis
Mare Fecunditatis is a lunar mare which is 840 km in diameter. The Fecuditatis basin formed in the Pre-Nectarian epoch, while the basin material surrounding the mare is of the...
. It is southwest of the crater Firmicus
Firmicus (crater)
Firmicus is a lunar crater that lies in the eastern part of the Moon's near side, so that from Earth it appears oval in shape due to foreshortening. It is, however, very nearly circular. The crater is located to the west of the Mare Undarum, and northeast of the similar-sized crater Apollonius. To...
, and north of Condon
Condon (crater)
Condon is a lunar crater that lies on the eastern shore of the Sinus Successus, a bay along the northeast edge of Mare Fecunditatis. It lies midway between the larger crater Apollonius to the north and the smaller Webb to the south on the Mare Fecunditatis...
.
The outer rim of Apollonius is somewhat worn and is overlain by a pair of small craters (including Apollonius E) across the western wall. The nearly flat interior floor has a low albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
and has been covered 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...
. It lacks a central peak or notable small craters across the bottom.
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 Apollonius.| Apollonius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.8° N | 56.8° E | 24 km |
| B | 5.7° N | 57.6° E | 32 km |
| E | 4.4° N | 61.9° E | 16 km |
| F | 5.6° N | 60.0° E | 16 km |
| H | 3.4° N | 59.6° E | 20 km |
| J | 4.6° N | 57.5° E | 12 km |
| L | 6.5° N | 54.6° E | 9 km |
| M | 4.8° N | 61.9° E | 10 km |
| N | 4.8° N | 64.1° E | 9 km |
| S | 1.1° N | 62.6° E | 15 km |
| U | 4.9° N | 59.9° E | 7 km |
| V | 4.4° N | 58.2° E | 16 km |
| X | 7.0° N | 58.1° E | 31 km |
| Y | 4.9° N | 62.6° E | 10 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.
- Apollonius C — See Ameghino (crater)Ameghino (crater)Ameghino is a lunar impact crater located to the north of the Sinus Successus, a bay in the northeast part of Mare Fecunditatis. Less than 15 kilometers to the northwest of Ameghino were the landing sites of the Soviet Luna 18 and Luna 20 probes....
. - Apollonius D — See Cartan (crater)Cartan (crater)Cartan is a small lunar crater near the eastern edge of the Moon. It lies just to the west of the larger Apollonius. The rim is circular with a tiny crater along the eastern side. The interior floor is about half the diameter of the crater...
. - Apollonius G — See Townley (crater)Townley (crater)Townley is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon. It lies to the northwest of Mare Spumans and southeast of the crater Apollonius. This crater was designated Apollonius G before being assigned a name by the IAU....
. - Apollonius K — See Abbot (crater)Abbot (crater)Abbot is a small lunar impact crater that lies on the rugged ground between the Mare Fecunditatis in the south and west, and the Mare Crisium to the north. It is a circular crater with a cup-shaped interior. The inner walls slope downward to the mid-point, and no impacts of significant mark the...
. - Apollonius P — See Daly (lunar crater)Daly (lunar crater)Daly is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon, to the northwest of the crater Apollonius. This formation is relatively circular, with a slight inward bulge along the northern rim. The inner wall is wider in the southern half than in the north...
. - Apollonius T — See Bombelli (crater)Bombelli (crater)Bombelli is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the highlands to the north of the Sinus Successus. It was previously designated Apollonius T before being named by the IAU. The crater Apollonius is located to the east-southeast....
. - Apollonius W — See Petit (crater)Petit (crater)Petit is a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater that is located on the northwestern edge of the Mare Spumans. The name is appropriate, since Petit means small in French. But it was actually named in honor of Alexis Thérèse Petit, a French physicist....
.