Kircher (crater)
Encyclopedia
Kircher is a lunar
crater
that is located in the south-southwestern part of the Moon
, near the southern limb. In this position the crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth
. It is less than one crater diameter due south of the crater Bettinus
, and is nearly attached to Wilson
along the south-southeast rim of Kircher.
This crater is distinctive for an interior floor that is level and nearly featureless. It is marked by only a few tiny craterlets, with a single small craterlet near the north-northeast inner wall. The rim and inner wall has been worn and rounded by impacts, although only a few tiny craters lie across the rim. Attached to the outside of the western rim is a crater pair, with the larger of the two designated Kircher D. A small, cup-shaped crater lies on the narrow neck of ground between Kircher and Wilson.
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 south-southwestern 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...
, near the southern limb. In this position the crater appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. It is less than one crater diameter due south of the crater Bettinus
Bettinus (crater)
Bettinus is a lunar impact crater located near the southwest limb. Due to its location, the crater has a distinctly oval shape because of foreshortening. To the south of the rim is the similar-sized crater Kircher, and to the northwest is the slightly smaller Zucchius...
, and is nearly attached to Wilson
Wilson (crater)
Wilson is a lunar crater that lies in the southern part of the Moon's near side, to the southwest of the large walled plain Clavius. It is nearly attached to the southeastern rim of the slightly larger crater Kircher. Almost due east lies Klaproth, another walled plain.This crater has a heavily...
along the south-southeast rim of Kircher.
This crater is distinctive for an interior floor that is level and nearly featureless. It is marked by only a few tiny craterlets, with a single small craterlet near the north-northeast inner wall. The rim and inner wall has been worn and rounded by impacts, although only a few tiny craters lie across the rim. Attached to the outside of the western rim is a crater pair, with the larger of the two designated Kircher D. A small, cup-shaped crater lies on the narrow neck of ground between Kircher and Wilson.
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 Kircher.| Kircher | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 66.1° S | 42.1° W | 29 km |
| B | 65.0° S | 43.1° W | 12 km |
| C | 66.9° S | 37.5° W | 11 km |
| D | 67.5° S | 49.8° W | 39 km |
| E | 69.1° S | 50.1° W | 20 km |
| F | 66.1° S | 38.9° W | 10 km |