Abul Wáfa (crater)
Encyclopedia
Abul Wáfa is an impact crater
located near the lunar
equator on the far side of the Moon
, named after the Persian
mathematician
and astronomer
Abul Wafa. To the east are the crater pair Ctesibius
and Heron
. In the northeast lies the larger crater King
, and to the southwest is Vesalius
.
The perimeter of this crater somewhat resembles a rounded diamond
shape. The rim and inner walls are rounded from impact erosion, and have lost some definition. There are ledges around most of the inner wall that may have once been terraces or slumped piles of scree
.
A small but notable crater lies on the inner surface of the north rim of Abul Wáfa, and there is a small crater formation attached to the exterior southwest wall. The outer rim is relatively free of impacts, and the interior floor is marked only by a few small craterlets.
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
located near the lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
equator on the far side of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, named after the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Abul Wafa. To the east are the crater pair Ctesibius
Ctesibius (crater)
Ctesibius is a small lunar impact crater that is located near the equator, on the far side of the Moon. It lies between the larger crater Abul Wáfa to the west and the slightly smaller Heron to the east....
and Heron
Heron (crater)
Heron is a small lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, less than 20 kilometers from the equator. It lies between the slightly larger crater Ctesibius just to the west and Soddy a little farther to the east. Almost directly to the north is the prominent crater King.This...
. In the northeast lies the larger crater King
King (crater)
King is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, and can not be viewed directly from Earth. It forms a pair with Ibn Firnas, which is only slightly larger and is attached to the northeast rim of King...
, and to the southwest is Vesalius
Vesalius (crater)
Vesalius is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, less than 100 kilometers south of the lunar equator. Just to the northwest is the slightly smaller crater Buisson. Farther to the west-southwest lies the prominent crater Einthoven....
.
The perimeter of this crater somewhat resembles a rounded diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
shape. The rim and inner walls are rounded from impact erosion, and have lost some definition. There are ledges around most of the inner wall that may have once been terraces or slumped piles of scree
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
.
A small but notable crater lies on the inner surface of the north rim of Abul Wáfa, and there is a small crater formation attached to the exterior southwest wall. The outer rim is relatively free of impacts, and the interior floor is marked only by a few small craterlets.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Abul Wáfa.| Abul Wáfa | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1.4° N | 116.8° E | 16 km |
| Q | 0.2° N | 115.7° E | 30 km |
External links
- LTO-65D3 Abul Wafa — L&PI topographic mapTopographic mapA topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features...