Vitruvius is a small
lunar 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 on the northern edge of the
Mare Tranquillitatis
Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin ''tranquillitātis'', the Sea of Tranquillity or Sea of Tranquility; see spelling differences) is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. It is the first location on another world to be ...
. To the east is the crater
Gardner, and to the northeast is
Fabbroni. To the north-northwest is the elongated
Mons Vitruvius mountain, and beyond is the valley where the
Apollo 17 mission landed.
The rim of Vitruvius is somewhat circular, but the sides are uneven to the north and east. The rim is highest to the northwest. The interior floor is uneven, with some low rises in the southwest. A small crater is attached to southern outer rim. The surroundings grow more rugged to the north of the crater. The crater was named after the ancient Roman engineer and architect
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 ...
.
Vitruvius is a crater of Upper (Late)
Imbrian 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 Vitruvius.
The following craters have been renamed by the
IAU.
* Vitruvius A — ''See''
Gardner (crater)
Gardner is a small lunar impact crater in the northeast part of the Moon and is named after an American physicist Irvine Clifton Gardner. It lies due east of the crater Vitruvius, in a section of rough terrain north of the Mare Tranquillitatis. G ...
.
* Vitruvius E — ''See''
Fabbroni (crater).
Vitruvius G is named ''El Greco'' on Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap LTO-61A1 Cajal, but this name was not approved by the IAU.
References
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External links
LTO-43D4 Vitruvius— L&PI
topographic map
In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but histori ...
Vitruvius at The Moon Wiki
* - also featuring the surrounding craters including Vitruvius
* {{cite web, date = October 22, 2007 , url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20071022 , title = A New Fault , publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day , url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614233616/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20071022, archive-date=June 14, 2011
Impact craters on the Moon