Campanus (crater)
Encyclopedia
Campanus is a lunar
impact crater
that is located on the southwestern edge of Mare Nubium
. It forms a crater pair with Mercator
just to the southeast. Along the southern rampart of Campanus is the small lunar mare
named Palus Epidemiarum
. To the southwest is the small crater Dunthorne
.
The rim of Campanus is roughly circular, with an outward bulge along the western rim and an inward bulge to the north-northwest. The outer wall has not been significantly eroded, although it has a low saddle-point along the south. The interior floor has been resurfaced by basalt
ic-lava
, leaving only a small central peak projecting above the surface. The floor has the same low albedo as the nearby mare, giving it a dark appearance. It is marked by a pair of tiny craterlets near the northeast and northwest interior walls. A slender rille
crosses the crater floor from north to south, passing to the east of the central peak.
To the west of Campanus is the rille
system named Rimae Hippalus. Another rille system lies to the south, designated Rimae Ramsden.
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...
impact 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...
that is located on the southwestern edge of Mare Nubium
Mare Nubium
Mare Nubium is a lunar mare in the Nubium basin on the Moon's near side. The mare is located just to the southeast of Oceanus Procellarum. The actual basin is believed to be of Pre-Nectarian system, with the surrounding basin material being of the Lower Imbrian epoch. The mare material is of the...
. It forms a crater pair with Mercator
Mercator (crater)
Mercator is a lunar crater that is located on the southwestern edge of Mare Nubium, in the southwest part of the Moon. It is located to the southeast of the crater Campanus, and the two are separated by a narrow, winding valley....
just to the southeast. Along the southern rampart of Campanus is the small lunar mare
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
named Palus Epidemiarum
Palus Epidemiarum
Palus Epidemiarum is a small lunar mare in the southwestern part of the Moon's near side. It lies to the southwest of Mare Nubium, and southeast of Mare Humorum...
. To the southwest is the small crater Dunthorne
Dunthorne (crater)
Dunthorne is a small lunar impact crater that is located to the northwest of the small lunar mare called Palus Epidemiarum, in the southwest part of the Moon's near side. It lies to the southwest of the crater Campanus, and east of Vitello. Due south is Ramsden.This crater is roughly circular and...
.
The rim of Campanus is roughly circular, with an outward bulge along the western rim and an inward bulge to the north-northwest. The outer wall has not been significantly eroded, although it has a low saddle-point along the south. The interior floor has been resurfaced by basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic-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...
, leaving only a small central peak projecting above the surface. The floor has the same low albedo as the nearby mare, giving it a dark appearance. It is marked by a pair of tiny craterlets near the northeast and northwest interior walls. A slender 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...
crosses the crater floor from north to south, passing to the east of the central peak.
To the west of Campanus is the 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...
system named Rimae Hippalus. Another rille system lies to the south, designated Rimae Ramsden.
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 Campanus.| Campanus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 26.0° S | 28.6° W | 11 km |
| B | 29.2° S | 29.2° W | 6 km |
| G | 28.6° S | 31.3° W | 10 km |
| K | 26.6° S | 28.3° W | 5 km |
| X | 27.8° S | 27.3° W | 4 km |
| Y | 27.8° S | 28.2° W | 4 km |