Struve (crater)
Encyclopedia
Struve is the lava-flooded remains of a lunar impact crater
. It is located near the western extreme of the Oceanus Procellarum
, close to the western lunar limb. As a consequence, even though it is roughly circular in outline, it appears oval due to foreshortening.
The northern rim of this crater intersects the smaller lava
-flooded crater Russell
to the north, and there is now a wide gap between the two formations. Attached to the southeast rim is the remains of another lava-flooded formation, Eddington
. Farther to the southwest is Balboa
, near the lunar limb.
The rim of Struve is heavily worn and irregular, with several gaps connecting to the surrounding mare
. It resembles little more than a circular mountain range, climbing to a maximum height of 1.7 km. There are several small impact craters within the wall, most notably in the southeast part of the crater. The crater Struve G overlaps the inner part of the western rim, and just to the north of this crater is a gap in the wall that connects to the Oceanus Procellarum
between the rims of Russell and Eddington.
On older maps this formation was named Otto Struve. It now honors three members of the same family, all astronomers.
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...
. It is located near the western extreme of the Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum is a vast lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of the Earth's Moon. Its name derives from the old superstition that its appearance during the second quarter heralded bad weather...
, close to the western lunar limb. As a consequence, even though it is roughly circular in outline, it appears oval due to foreshortening.
The northern rim of this crater intersects the smaller 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 crater Russell
Russell (lunar crater)
Russell is the lava-flooded remains of a lunar impact crater. It is located in the western part of the Oceanus Procellarum, close to the western lunar limb...
to the north, and there is now a wide gap between the two formations. Attached to the southeast rim is the remains of another lava-flooded formation, Eddington
Eddington (crater)
Eddington is the lava-flooded remnant of a lunar impact crater, located on the western part of Oceanus Procellarum. The western rim is attached to the wall of the walled plain Struve. To the east-southeast is the smaller but prominent crater Seleucus...
. Farther to the southwest is Balboa
Balboa (lunar crater)
Balboa is a lunar crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon. Due to foreshortening, the crater appears highly oval when viewed from the Earth. In actuality, however, the formation is relatively circular. It is comparable in size to the crater Dalton, located just to the southwest...
, near the lunar limb.
The rim of Struve is heavily worn and irregular, with several gaps connecting to the surrounding 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...
. It resembles little more than a circular mountain range, climbing to a maximum height of 1.7 km. There are several small impact craters within the wall, most notably in the southeast part of the crater. The crater Struve G overlaps the inner part of the western rim, and just to the north of this crater is a gap in the wall that connects to the Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum is a vast lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of the Earth's Moon. Its name derives from the old superstition that its appearance during the second quarter heralded bad weather...
between the rims of Russell and Eddington.
On older maps this formation was named Otto Struve. It now honors three members of the same family, all astronomers.
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 Struve.| Struve | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 19.0° N | 77.0° W | 14 km |
| C | 22.9° N | 75.3° W | 11 km |
| D | 25.3° N | 73.6° W | 10 km |
| F | 22.5° N | 73.6° W | 9 km |
| G | 23.9° N | 73.9° W | 14 km |
| H | 25.2° N | 83.3° W | 21 km |
| K | 23.5° N | 73.0° W | 6 km |
| L | 20.7° N | 76.0° W | 15 km |
| M | 23.3° N | 76.2° W | 15 km |