Klaproth (crater)
Encyclopedia
Klaproth is an old lunar
crater
that lies in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon
's near side. Due to its location, this crater appears significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth
. The southern rim of the crater is overlain by the similar-sized crater Casatus
, and to the north-northeast lies Blancanus
.
The outer rim of Klaproth has been deeply eroded, incised, and reshaped by a long history of bombardment. The rim to the north and east remains relatively circular, but the original rim along the western face has been overlain by satellite craters Klaproth G and Klaproth H, and other impacts. To the south the crater Casatus significantly intrudes into the interior floor. The remaining floor has been resurfaced by some material in the past, possibly fluidized ejecta or lava
, leaving a level and nearly featureless surface that is marked only by a multitude of tiny craterlets. If this walled-plain once possessed a central peak, it no longer exists.
The crater was named after Martin Heinrich Klaproth
, the German chemist and discoverer of Uranium.
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 lies in the rugged southern highlands 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...
's near side. Due to its location, this crater appears significantly 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...
. The southern rim of the crater is overlain by the similar-sized crater Casatus
Casatus (crater)
Casatus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southern limb of the Moon. The north-northeast rim of the crater overlies a portion of the slightly larger crater Klaproth. Along the western rim, Casatus A intrudes somewhat into the interior, producing an inward-bowing rim...
, and to the north-northeast lies Blancanus
Blancanus (crater)
Blancanus is a lunar impact crater located in the rugged southern region of the Moon, to the southwest of the walled plain Clavius. To the northwest lies the comparably sized crater Scheiner, and south-southwest of Blancanus is the worn Klaproth....
.
The outer rim of Klaproth has been deeply eroded, incised, and reshaped by a long history of bombardment. The rim to the north and east remains relatively circular, but the original rim along the western face has been overlain by satellite craters Klaproth G and Klaproth H, and other impacts. To the south the crater Casatus significantly intrudes into the interior floor. The remaining floor has been resurfaced by some material in the past, possibly fluidized ejecta or 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 a level and nearly featureless surface that is marked only by a multitude of tiny craterlets. If this walled-plain once possessed a central peak, it no longer exists.
The crater was named after Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Martin Heinrich Klaproth was a German chemist.Klaproth was born in Wernigerode. During a large portion of his life he followed the profession of an apothecary...
, the German chemist and discoverer of Uranium.
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 Klaproth.| Klaproth | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 68.2° S | 21.6° W | 30 km |
| B | 72.0° S | 24.7° W | 11 km |
| C | 69.1° S | 19.5° W | 8 km |
| D | 70.2° S | 20.4° W | 8 km |
| G | 68.6° S | 31.2° W | 30 km |
| H | 69.4° S | 33.1° W | 41 km |
| L | 70.1° S | 36.5° W | 11 km |