Widmannstätten is a
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 depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...
in the southern part of the
Mare Smythii
Mare Smythii (Latin for "Smyth's Sea") is a lunar mare located along the equator on the easternmost edge of the Moon's near side, named for the 19th-century British astronomer William Henry Smyth. It is one of only two lunar maria that are named ...
, near the eastern limb of the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
. The rim of this crater has a wide gap along the western side, where it is joined to the larger
Kiess. There is also a gap in the northern rim where the crater floor is joined to the adjacent
lunar mare
The lunar maria ( ; mare ) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by lava flowing into ancient impact basins. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich composition, and hence appear dark to ...
. The dark interior floor of this formation has been flooded by
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 Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...
, leaving a level interior surface and a shallow surviving rim.
Both Kiess and Widmannstätten have
fractured floors.
The craters Kiess and Widmannstätten were referred to as ''Wright Brothers'', such as by the crew of Apollo 17, prior to being officially named by the IAU in 1973.
[Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN]
KiessWidmannstätten
/ref>
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Widmannstatten (crater)
Impact craters on the Moon