Moulton (crater)
Encyclopedia
Moulton is a crater
on the Moon
's far side, just beyond the south-southwestern limb as seen from the Earth
. The crater is attached to the southern edge of Chamberlin
, and it lies at the northern terminus of the Vallis Schrödinger
valley. There is a cleft in the shared rim between Chamberlin and Moulton.
This is a worn crater with an outer rim that is not quite circular. There are straight lengths in the rim to the west and northeast, as well as the common rim shared with Chamberlin to the north. Attached to the eastern outer rim is the satellite crater Moulton H. The interior floor has been resurfaced, although the albedo
is not as low as the lava
-flooded interior of Chamberlin. There are no craters of note on Moulton's rim or within the interior.
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...
on 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 far side, just beyond the south-southwestern limb as seen 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 crater is attached to the southern edge of Chamberlin
Chamberlin (lunar crater)
Chamberlin is a lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, just past the southeastern limb. It lies to the southeast of the crater Jeans, and Moulton is attached to the southeastern rim of Chamberlin...
, and it lies at the northern terminus of the Vallis Schrödinger
Vallis Schrödinger
Vallis Schrödinger is a long, nearly linear valley that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is oriented radially to the huge Schrödinger basin and most likely was formed during the original impact that created Schrödinger....
valley. There is a cleft in the shared rim between Chamberlin and Moulton.
This is a worn crater with an outer rim that is not quite circular. There are straight lengths in the rim to the west and northeast, as well as the common rim shared with Chamberlin to the north. Attached to the eastern outer rim is the satellite crater Moulton H. The interior floor has been resurfaced, although the albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
is not as low as the 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...
-flooded interior of Chamberlin. There are no craters of note on Moulton's rim or within the interior.
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 Moulton.Moulton | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
H | 61.5° S | 100.6° E | 44 km |
P | 63.9° S | 93.5° E | 14 km |