Maraldi is a worn, eroded
crater on the western edge of the
Sinus Amoris
Sinus Amoris (Latin ''sinus amōris'' "Bay of Love") extends northward from the northeast end of the Mare Tranquillitatis. It is located at selenographic coordinates 19.9° N, 37.3° E, and lies within a diameter of 190 km. To the north of ...
, in the northeast 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 ...
. To the west-southwest is the crater
Vitruvius
Vitruvius (; c. 80–70 BC – after c. 15 BC) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work entitled '' De architectura''. He originated the idea that all buildings should have three attribut ...
, and to the northwest lies the worn
Littrow crater. Just to the northeast of the crater is the dome-like
Mons Maraldi rise.
The crater is named after two Italian-born French astronomers:
Giovanni Domenico Maraldi and
Giacomo F. Maraldi.
Maraldi has a very worn outer wall that is deeply incised and has the appearance of a circular range of peaks rather than a crater rim. The interior has been flooded with
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
ic
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 flat surface with a low
albedo
Albedo (; ) is the measure of the diffuse reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation and measured on a scale from 0, corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation, to 1, corresponding to a body that refl ...
. There is a low ridge just to the northwest of the midpoint, and several tiny craters mark the floor surface.
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 Maraldi.
The following craters have been renamed by the
IAU
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...
.
* Maraldi B — ''See''
Lucian (crater).
* Maraldi M — ''See''
Theophrastus (crater)
Theophrastus is a small lunar impact crater at the southern part of the Sinus Amoris, a bay at the northeast part of the Mare Tranquillitatis. It was named after ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus. It lies to the southeast of the lava-flooded c ...
.
References
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External links
Maraldi at The Moon Wiki* {{cite web , last = Wood , first = Chuck , date = June 24, 2006 , url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060624 , title = Mons of Mystery , publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day , access-date = 2006-07-12 , url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070320194641/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060624 , archive-date = March 20, 2007
Impact craters on the Moon