Nicolai (crater)
Encyclopedia
Nicolai is a lunar
crater
that is located in the southern hemisphere of the Moon
, in a region that is less disturbed by significant impacts than most of the highlands
. The nearest craters of note are Spallanzani
to the south, and the much larger Maurolycus
and Barocius
to the east. The crater is named after the 19th-century German
astronomer Friedrich Bernhard Gottfried Nicolai
. It is 42 kilometers in diameter and reaches a depth of 1.8 kilometers.
The outer wall of this crater is worn, with a number of tiny craterlets lying along the rim. The most notable of these is a tiny crater located across the northern rim. The satellite crater Nicolai B is attached to the exterior of the southwest rim. The inner walls slope down relatively smoothly to the flat interior floor filled with lava. The only marking on the inner surface is a tiny craterlet in the northern part of the crater. Nicolai is from the Nectarian
period, which lasted from 3.92 billion to 3.85 billion years ago.
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 southern hemisphere 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...
, in a region that is less disturbed by significant impacts than most of the highlands
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
. The nearest craters of note are Spallanzani
Spallanzani (lunar crater)
Spallanzani is a lunar crater located in the rugged, crater-marked terrain of the Moon's southern hemisphere. To the southeast is the prominent crater Pitiscus, and to the north is Nicolai....
to the south, and the much larger Maurolycus
Maurolycus (crater)
Maurolycus is one of the more prominent lunar craters in the southern highland region of the Moon that is covered in overlapping crater impacts. It is joined at the southeast rim by the smaller crater Barocius. Due west lie the overlapping pair of Stöfler and Faraday...
and Barocius
Barocius (crater)
Barocius is an ancient lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. It lies just to the southeast of the large crater Maurolycus. To the southwest of Barocius is Clairaut, and to the south-southeast lies Breislak....
to the east. The crater is named after the 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...
astronomer Friedrich Bernhard Gottfried Nicolai
Friedrich Bernhard Gottfried Nicolai
Friedrich Bernhard Gottfried Nicolai was a German astronomer.Born in Braunschweig, Nicolai was educated at Göttingen. In 1812, he calculated the Euler–Mascheroni constant to 40 decimal places. In 1816, he joined the Mannheim observatory where he became the director.The crater Nicolai on the Moon...
. It is 42 kilometers in diameter and reaches a depth of 1.8 kilometers.
The outer wall of this crater is worn, with a number of tiny craterlets lying along the rim. The most notable of these is a tiny crater located across the northern rim. The satellite crater Nicolai B is attached to the exterior of the southwest rim. The inner walls slope down relatively smoothly to the flat interior floor filled with lava. The only marking on the inner surface is a tiny craterlet in the northern part of the crater. Nicolai is from the 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, which lasted from 3.92 billion to 3.85 billion years ago.
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 Nicolai.| Nicolai | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 42.4° S | 23.6° E | 13 km |
| B | 43.2° S | 25.3° E | 13 km |
| C | 44.0° S | 29.0° E | 25 km |
| D | 41.7° S | 25.5° E | 6 km |
| E | 40.6° S | 25.3° E | 13 km |
| G | 42.8° S | 22.4° E | 11 km |
| H | 43.5° S | 26.8° E | 17 km |
| J | 40.5° S | 22.0° E | 8 km |
| K | 42.9° S | 28.2° E | 25 km |
| L | 44.1° S | 25.6° E | 13 km |
| M | 42.4° S | 29.0° E | 11 km |
| P | 43.1° S | 29.7° E | 30 km |
| Q | 42.3° S | 30.1° E | 26 km |
| R | 41.5° S | 25.9° E | 6 km |
| Z | 40.9° S | 21.5° E | 24 km |