Graff (lunar Crater)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Graff is a small
lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...
impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...
that lies along the southwestern limb of the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
. It is located to the west of the Vallis Bouvard depression in the southern part of the ejecta blanket that surrounds the
Mare Orientale Mare Orientale (Latin ''orientāle'', the "eastern sea") is a lunar mare. It is located on the western border of the near side and far side of the Moon, and is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective. Images from spacecraft have reveal ...
impact basin. To the south-southwest is the smaller crater Catalán. The outer rim of this crater is roughly circular, with a slight outward protrusion along the southern side. The rim and inner walls are not significantly eroded, and slope downward to a ring of accumulated debris surrounding the interior floor. The bottom is somewhat irregular, with a tiny crater near the midpoint and another to the northeast. Because of its location, this crater is viewed obliquely by observers on the
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
, and its visibility can be affected by libration. This crater lies within the
Mendel-Rydberg Basin The Mendel-Ryberg Basin is a Nectarian impact basin on the southwestern limb of the moon. It is named after the crater Mendel on the west margin and the smaller crater Rydberg north of the center of the basin. The basin is due south of the la ...
, a 630 km wide impact basin of Nectarian age.


Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Graff.


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend Impact craters on the Moon