Klaproth is an old

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 rugged southern highlands 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 ...

's near side. Due to its location, this crater appears significantly foreshortened when viewed from 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 ...

. The southern rim of the crater is overlain by the similar-sized crater Casatus, and to the north-northeast lies Blancanus. The outer rim of Klaproth has been deeply eroded, incised, and reshaped by a long history of bombardment. The rim to the north and east remains relatively circular, but the original rim along the western face has been overlain by satellite craters Klaproth G and Klaproth H, and other impacts. To the south the crater Casatus significantly intrudes into the interior floor. The remaining floor has been resurfaced by some material in the past, possibly fluidized ejecta or

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

, leaving a level and nearly featureless surface that is marked only by a multitude of tiny craterlets. If this walled-plain once possessed a central peak, it no longer exists. The crater was named after

Martin Heinrich Klaproth Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1 December 1743 – 1 January 1817) was a German chemist. He trained and worked for much of his life as an apothecary, moving in later life to the university. His shop became the second-largest apothecary in Berlin, and ...

, the German chemist and discoverer of

Uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

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 Klaproth.

References

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