Furnerius (crater)
Encyclopedia
Furnerius is a large lunar
crater
located in the southeast part of the Moon
, in the area close to the southwestern limb. Because of its location, the crater appears oval in shape due to foreshortening but is actually nearly circular. Notable nearby craters include Stevinus
to the northwest and Fraunhofer
to the south-southwest. Farther to the northwest is the crater Snellius
and the Vallis Snellius
crater valley.
The rim of Furnerius is worn and battered, with multiple impacts along its length and notches along the base. Much of the wall now rises only slightly above the surrounding terrain, with the lowest sections to the north and south. However the northern wall rises to a maximum elevation of 3.5 km.
The interior floor is marked by fourteen notable craters, the most notable being Furnerius B in the northern half which has a central rise. Dark patches on the floor indicate areas resurfaced by lava
. In the northeast part of the floor is a rille
designated Rima Furnerius. This cleft is about 50 kilometers in length and follows a course to the northwest where it reaches the north rim of the crater.
In Johann H. Schröter's lunar study of 1791, he sketched this crater with a low dome in the southern half. This feature has proven difficult to identify in subsequent lunar photographs and observations.
The Japan
ese satellite
named Hiten
crash-landed in the vicinity of this crater in 1993.
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 in the southeast part 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...
, in the area close to the southwestern limb. Because of its location, the crater appears oval in shape due to foreshortening but is actually nearly circular. Notable nearby craters include Stevinus
Stevinus (crater)
Stevinus is a lunar impact crater located in the southeast part of the Moon. To the southeast is the large crater Furnerius. Just to the northeast is Snellius and the Vallis Snellius crater valley. To the west-northwest lies Reichenbach...
to the northwest and Fraunhofer
Fraunhofer (crater)
Fraunhofer is a lunar crater that is located just to the south-southwest of the walled plain Furnerius, in the southeastern part of the Moon. This crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, and is actually nearly circular....
to the south-southwest. Farther to the northwest is the crater Snellius
Snellius (crater)
Snellius is a lunar crater located near the southeast limb of the Moon. Because of foreshortening the crater appears oval in shape, although it is actually nearly round. To the northeast is the large crater Petavius. South of Snellius is the crater Stevinus....
and the Vallis Snellius
Vallis Snellius
Vallis Snellius is a linear valley on the near side of the Moon. It is located in the rugged southeastern part of the visible surface, to the south of the Mare Fecunditatis. This feature is radial to the Mare Nectaris basin to the west-northwest, much like Vallis Rheita to the southwest, and the...
crater valley.
The rim of Furnerius is worn and battered, with multiple impacts along its length and notches along the base. Much of the wall now rises only slightly above the surrounding terrain, with the lowest sections to the north and south. However the northern wall rises to a maximum elevation of 3.5 km.
The interior floor is marked by fourteen notable craters, the most notable being Furnerius B in the northern half which has a central rise. Dark patches on the floor indicate areas resurfaced 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...
. In the northeast part of the floor is 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 Furnerius. This cleft is about 50 kilometers in length and follows a course to the northwest where it reaches the north rim of the crater.
In Johann H. Schröter's lunar study of 1791, he sketched this crater with a low dome in the southern half. This feature has proven difficult to identify in subsequent lunar photographs and observations.
The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
named Hiten
Hiten
The Hiten Spacecraft , given the English name Celestial Maiden and known before launch as MUSES-A , part of the MUSES Program, was built by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science of Japan and launched on January 24, 1990...
crash-landed in the vicinity of this crater in 1993.
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 Furnerius.| Furnerius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 33.5° S | 59.0° E | 12 km |
| B | 35.5° S | 59.9° E | 22 km |
| C | 33.7° S | 57.8° E | 22 km |
| D | 37.0° S | 55.9° E | 16 km |
| E | 34.8° S | 57.1° E | 22 km |
| F | 36.2° S | 64.0° E | 43 km |
| G | 38.2° S | 65.4° E | 34 km |
| H | 37.6° S | 69.5° E | 44 km |
| J | 34.8° S | 64.2° E | 24 km |
| K | 38.1° S | 68.1° E | 36 km |
| L | 38.6° S | 69.9° E | 13 km |
| N | 33.6° S | 61.1° E | 9 km |
| P | 38.0° S | 61.8° E | 18 km |
| Q | 39.5° S | 67.3° E | 30 km |
| R | 39.9° S | 69.1° E | 17 km |
| S | 39.1° S | 68.0° E | 15 km |
| T | 37.8° S | 63.1° E | 10 km |
| U | 35.7° S | 68.2° E | 20 km |
| V | 35.7° S | 65.6° E | 58 km |
| W | 37.1° S | 71.1° E | 32 km |
| X | 33.9° S | 63.6° E | 8 km |
| Y | 34.3° S | 65.2° E | 12 km |
| Z | 33.5° S | 63.0° E | 8 km |
External links
- The Lunar Crater Furnerius and the Mystery of Schroters Dome (accessed 9/15/05)