Schumacher (crater)
Encyclopedia
Schumacher is a lunar
crater
that lies in the northeast part of the Moon
, just to the north of the larger walled plain Messala
. The two formations are separated by a rough strip of terrain less than 10 kilometers across, and bisected by a pair of small, co-joined craters. The northern member of this pair lies across the southern rim of Schumacher, and intrudes into the interior floor.
The rim of this crater forms an eroded ring that is broken along the western side by the flooded crater Schumacher B. There is a low terrace along the northwestern inner wall. The rim is also notched along the eastern side by a pair of outward bulges. The interior floor of this crater has been resurfaced by basalt
ic lava
, and now forms a level, nearly featureless plain. The floor is somewhat darker in the western half, which the albedo
in the eastern half matches the surrounding lunar terrain.
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 northeast 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...
, just to the north of the larger walled plain Messala
Messala (crater)
Messala is a lunar crater of sufficient dimension to belong to the category of impact features known as walled plains. It is located in the northeastern part of the Moon, close enough to the rim to appear significantly foreshortened. Nearly attached to the northern rim is the crater Schumacher...
. The two formations are separated by a rough strip of terrain less than 10 kilometers across, and bisected by a pair of small, co-joined craters. The northern member of this pair lies across the southern rim of Schumacher, and intrudes into the interior floor.
The rim of this crater forms an eroded ring that is broken along the western side by the flooded crater Schumacher B. There is a low terrace along the northwestern inner wall. The rim is also notched along the eastern side by a pair of outward bulges. The interior floor of this crater has been resurfaced by basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic 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...
, and now forms a level, nearly featureless plain. The floor is somewhat darker in the western half, which 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...
in the eastern half matches the surrounding lunar terrain.
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 Schumacher.| Schumacher | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 42.1° N | 59.4° E | 24 km |