Heinsius is an eroded

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 craters ...

that lies in the southwestern part 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 named after German astronomer

Gottfried Heinsius Gottfried Heinsius (April, 1709 – May 21, 1769) was a German mathematician, geographer and astronomer. He was born near Naumburg and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1733 from the University of Leipzig with a dissertation on ''De viribus motricibus''. L ...

. It is located to the northwest of the prominent crater Tycho, and

rays Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

from that formation pass to the north and south of Heinsius as well as marking the rim and interior with material. To the south-southwest of Heinsius is the larger walled plain

Wilhelm Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

. The southern part of this crater has been heavily damaged by subsequent impacts. Both Heinsius B and Heinsius C lie across the southern and southwestern rim, while Heinsius A is located in the southern interior floor. Together these three satellite craters form a triangular arrangement with the rims only separated by a few kilometers from each other. If Heinsius possessed a central peak, it is now covered by the outer

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

of Heinsius A. The northern half of the rim is in better shape, although still worn and rounded due to impact erosion. There is a wide shelf along the northeastern inner wall. A small craterlet lies exactly on the northwestern rim. The northern interior floor is relatively level and featureless.

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 Heinsius.

References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Commonscat Impact craters on the Moon