Kinau (crater)
Encyclopedia
Kinau is a small, eroded lunar
crater
that is located in the low southern latitude
s of the Moon
. It lies to the southeast of the crater Jacobi
, and about equally far to the north-northwest of Pentland
. It is 42 kilometers in diameter and two kilometers deep. It may be from the Pre-Nectarian
period, 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago.
The northwestern rim and inner wall of this crater has been heavily damaged by impacts, and is overlaid by a pair of small, cup-shaped craters. The remainder of the rim is worn and somewhat distorted into a hexagonal shape, with several small craterlets along the rim edge. The inner walls are relatively low, and the interior floor is almost featureless except for a few tiny craterlets. There is a low rise near the mid-point that is attached to the small crater to the northwest.
The crater is named after 19th century German
priest, teacher and amateur astronomer Adolph Gottfried Kinau
.
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 in the low southern latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
s 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 to the southeast of the crater Jacobi
Jacobi (crater)
Jacobi is a lunar crater that is located in the southern highlands on the near side of the Moon. It lies southeast of the crater Lilius, with Cuvier to the north-northwest and Baco to the northeast. The crater is 68 kilometers in diameter and 3.3 kilometers in depth...
, and about equally far to the north-northwest of Pentland
Pentland (crater)
Pentland is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southern part of the Moon, and appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth. About one crater diameter to the southwest is the larger crater Curtius, and to the north-northwest lies Zach....
. It is 42 kilometers in diameter and two kilometers deep. It may be from the Pre-Nectarian
Nectarian
The Nectarian Period of the lunar geologic timescale runs from 3920 million years ago to 3850 million years ago. It is the period during which the Nectaris Basin and other major basins were formed by large impact events...
period, 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago.
The northwestern rim and inner wall of this crater has been heavily damaged by impacts, and is overlaid by a pair of small, cup-shaped craters. The remainder of the rim is worn and somewhat distorted into a hexagonal shape, with several small craterlets along the rim edge. The inner walls are relatively low, and the interior floor is almost featureless except for a few tiny craterlets. There is a low rise near the mid-point that is attached to the small crater to the northwest.
The crater is named after 19th century German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
priest, teacher and amateur astronomer Adolph Gottfried Kinau
Adolph Gottfried Kinau
Adolph Gottfried Kinau was a German Protestant minister and astronomer.Born in Aschersleben into a family of ministers and teachers, he studied theology in Halle and Magdeburg from 1833 to 1840. Until 1851, he had several appointments as teacher. Till 1861 he was minister in Rohr in Thuringia...
.
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 Kinau.| Kinau | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 62.1° S | 20.0° E | 35 km |
| B | 61.6° S | 19.2° E | 8 km |
| C | 60.6° S | 20.5° E | 30 km |
| D | 60.6° S | 18.5° E | 27 km |
| E | 60.1° S | 20.0° E | 7 km |
| F | 62.1° S | 13.5° E | 10 km |
| G | 61.5° S | 12.7° E | 25 km |
| H | 59.8° S | 19.7° E | 6 km |
| J | 59.6° S | 16.0° E | 5 km |
| K | 58.6° S | 18.1° E | 10 km |
| L | 59.3° S | 18.8° E | 11 km |
| M | 60.4° S | 14.3° E | 12 km |
| N | 61.4° S | 15.5° E | 7 km |
| P | 61.4° S | 17.4° E | 5 km |
| Q | 62.4° S | 21.1° E | 11 km |
| R | 59.9° S | 11.6° E | 61 km |