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Humboldt (crater)
Encyclopedia
Humboldt is a large lunar
crater
that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon
. Due to foreshortening this formation has an extremely oblong appearance. The actual shape of the crater is an irregular circle, with a significant indentation along the southeastern rim where the prominent crater Barnard
intrudes. To the north-northwest of Humboldt is the large crater Hecataeus
. Phillips
is attached to the western rim.
The rim of Humboldt is low, worn, and irregular in outline. The central peak forms a range on the crater floor. The floor surface contains a network of clefts forming a pattern of radial spokes and concentric arcs. There are also some dark patches located near the walls to the northeast, northwest, and southeast. There is a chain of craters leading from the northwest crater rim to a distance almost as long as the crater is wide. This formation is designated Catena Humboldt.
Due to its location near the lunar limb, little detail was known about this crater until it was photographed by orbiting spacecraft.
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...
that is 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...
. Due to foreshortening this formation has an extremely oblong appearance. The actual shape of the crater is an irregular circle, with a significant indentation along the southeastern rim where the prominent crater Barnard
Barnard (lunar crater)
Barnard is a lunar crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. It is attached to the southeast rim of the large crater Humboldt, and Abel lies directly to the south. To the northeast is the crater Curie, while to the southeast is the Mare Australe.The formation has been reshaped and...
intrudes. To the north-northwest of Humboldt is the large crater Hecataeus
Hecataeus (crater)
Hecataeus is a large lunar crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon. It is attached to the northern rim of the walled plain Humboldt. To the northeast is the smaller crater Gibbs...
. Phillips
Phillips (lunar crater)
Phillips is a lunar crater that is located in the vicinity of the Moon's east-southeastern limb. The larger walled plain Humboldt lies across the eastern rim of Phillips, and the outer rampart covers nearly half the interior floor...
is attached to the western rim.
The rim of Humboldt is low, worn, and irregular in outline. The central peak forms a range on the crater floor. The floor surface contains a network of clefts forming a pattern of radial spokes and concentric arcs. There are also some dark patches located near the walls to the northeast, northwest, and southeast. There is a chain of craters leading from the northwest crater rim to a distance almost as long as the crater is wide. This formation is designated Catena Humboldt.
Due to its location near the lunar limb, little detail was known about this crater until it was photographed by orbiting spacecraft.
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 Humboldt.| Humboldt | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 30.9° S | 83.7° E | 21 km |
| N | 26.0° S | 80.5° E | 14 km |