Schröter (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Schröter is a lunar
crater
near the mid-part of the Moon
, on the eastern Mare Insularum
, and named after German astronomer Johann Hieronymus Schröter. It lies to the north of the craters Sömmering
and Mösting
. To the southeast of the crater rim is a rille
named the Rima Schröter. This cleft begins at a small crater in the mare
, then follows a line to the south-southeast.
The rim of Schröter is heavily worn and eroded, with a wide gap in the southern wall and a deep indentation to the southeast. There is no central peak at the crater's mid-point. A widely spaced row of tiny craters forms a line westwards from the north rim of Schröter.
Professor W. H. Pickering
produced drawing
s of this crater displaying eruptions of steam
that he believed he witnessed. This transient lunar phenomenon
was not confirmed by other observers.
To the north of Schröter, beginning with the satellite crater Schröter W, is a region of irregular terrain. This area includes an array of linear dark surface markings that appear to criss-cross. In the 19th century, Franz von Gruithuisen
is noted for claiming that this area contained a lunar city
, based on his observations using a small refracting telescope
. This inference was greeted with considerable skepticism by astronomers at the time, and, indeed, subsequent observations with more powerful instruments demonstrated that this was merely a natural feature.
About 100 km to the west-northwest of Schröter is the landing site of Surveyor 2
.
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...
near the mid-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...
, on the eastern Mare Insularum
Mare Insularum
Mare Insularum is a lunar mare located in the Insularum basin just south of Mare Imbrium. The basin material is of the Lower Imbrian epoch, with the mare material of the Upper Imbrian epoch. The mare is bordered by the craters Copernicus on the east, and Kepler on the west...
, and named after German astronomer Johann Hieronymus Schröter. It lies to the north of the craters Sömmering
Sömmering (crater)
Sömmering is the lava-flooded remains of a lunar crater on the eastern edge of the Mare Insularum. To the southeast is the crater Mösting, and north of Sömmering lies a similar flooded crater designated Schröter...
and Mösting
Mösting (crater)
Mösting is a small lunar crater that is located in the southeastern fringes of the Mare Insularum. The ruined crater Sömmering lies to the northwest. To the southeast is the large crater-bay of Flammarion. Mösting has a terraced inner wall and a small central hill at the mid-point of the floor.To...
. To the southeast of the crater rim is a rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
named the Rima Schröter. This cleft begins at a small crater in the mare
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
, then follows a line to the south-southeast.
The rim of Schröter is heavily worn and eroded, with a wide gap in the southern wall and a deep indentation to the southeast. There is no central peak at the crater's mid-point. A widely spaced row of tiny craters forms a line westwards from the north rim of Schröter.
Professor W. H. Pickering
William Henry Pickering
William Henry Pickering was an American astronomer, brother of Edward Charles Pickering. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1883.-Work:...
produced drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
s of this crater displaying eruptions of steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
that he believed he witnessed. This transient lunar phenomenon
Transient lunar phenomenon
A transient lunar phenomenon , or lunar transient phenomenon , is a short-lived light, color, or change in appearance on the lunar surface....
was not confirmed by other observers.
To the north of Schröter, beginning with the satellite crater Schröter W, is a region of irregular terrain. This area includes an array of linear dark surface markings that appear to criss-cross. In the 19th century, Franz von Gruithuisen
Franz von Gruithuisen
Baron Franz von Paula Gruithuisen was a Bavarian physician and astronomer. He taught medical students before becoming a professor of astronomy at the University of Munich in 1826....
is noted for claiming that this area contained a lunar city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, based on his observations using a small refracting telescope
Refracting telescope
A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image . The refracting telescope design was originally used in spy glasses and astronomical telescopes but is also used for long focus camera lenses...
. This inference was greeted with considerable skepticism by astronomers at the time, and, indeed, subsequent observations with more powerful instruments demonstrated that this was merely a natural feature.
About 100 km to the west-northwest of Schröter is the landing site of Surveyor 2
Surveyor 2
Surveyor 2 was to be the second lunar lander in the unmanned American Surveyor program to explore the Moon.It was launched September 20, 1966 from Cape Kennedy, Florida aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket....
.
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 Schröter.| Schröter | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.8° N | 7.8° W | 4 km |
| C | 8.3° N | 9.8° W | 8 km |
| D | 4.5° N | 9.5° W | 5 km |
| E | 2.4° N | 6.8° W | 3 km |
| F | 7.4° N | 5.9° W | 34 km |
| G | 3.2° N | 9.4° W | 5 km |
| H | 3.2° N | 8.6° W | 4 km |
| J | 8.5° N | 6.1° W | 6 km |
| K | 3.1° N | 7.9° W | 5 km |
| L | 1.8° N | 7.4° W | 4 km |
| M | 7.0° N | 11.6° W | 5 km |
| S | 7.1° N | 9.2° W | 3 km |
| T | 7.0° N | 8.0° W | 4 km |
| U | 4.1° N | 6.6° W | 4 km |
| W | 4.8° N | 7.7° W | 10 km |