Abulfeda (crater)
Encyclopedia
Abulfeda is a lunar
impact crater
located in the central highlands of the Moon
. To the northeast is the crater Descartes
, and to the south-southeast is Almanon
. To the north is the crater Dollond
. A chain of craters named the Catena Abulfeda
runs between the southern rim of Abulfeda and the north rim of Almanon, then continues for a length of 210 kilometers across the Rupes Altai
. The crater was named for 14th century Kurdish
historian Ismael Abul-fida.
Both the south and northeast sides of the crater rim are overlain by multiple small craterlets. The inner wall is noticeably wider in the east, and shallow and worn to the north. The crater floor has been resurfaced, either by ejecta from the Mare Imbrium
or by basalt
ic lava
, and is relatively smooth and featureless. The crater lacks a central rise at the mid-point, which may have been buried. The inner sides appear to have been somewhat smoothed down, most likely as a result of minor bombardment and seismic shaking from other impacts in the vicinity.
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...
impact crater
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 in the central highlands 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...
. To the northeast is the crater Descartes
Descartes (crater)
Descartes is a heavily worn lunar crater that is located in the rugged south-central highlands of the Moon. To the southwest is the crater Abulfeda. It is named after the French philosopher, mathematician and physicist René Descartes....
, and to the south-southeast is Almanon
Almanon (crater)
Almanon, named after Abbasid Caliph Al Ma'mun, is a lunar impact crater that lies in the rugged highlands in the south-central region of the Moon. It is located to the south-southeast of Abulfeda, and to the north-northeast of the smaller crater Geber...
. To the north is the crater Dollond
Dollond (crater)
Dollond is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the central region of the Moon, to the north of the crater Abulfeda. Due west of Dollond is Anděl...
. A chain of craters named the Catena Abulfeda
Catena Abulfeda
Catena Abulfeda is a chain of craters on the Moon that runs between the southern rim of the crater Abulfeda and the north rim of Almanon, then continues for a length of 210 kilometers across the Rupes Altai. It is located at ....
runs between the southern rim of Abulfeda and the north rim of Almanon, then continues for a length of 210 kilometers across the Rupes Altai
Rupes Altai
Rupes Altai is an escarpment in the lunar surface that is located in the southeastern quadrant of the Moon's near side. It is named for the Altai Mountains in Asia. The selenographic coordinates of this feature are , and it has a length of about 427 km....
. The crater was named for 14th century Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
historian Ismael Abul-fida.
Both the south and northeast sides of the crater rim are overlain by multiple small craterlets. The inner wall is noticeably wider in the east, and shallow and worn to the north. The crater floor has been resurfaced, either by ejecta from the Mare Imbrium
Mare Imbrium
Mare Imbrium, Latin for "Sea of Showers" or "Sea of Rains", is a vast lunar mare filling a basin on Earth's Moon and one of the larger craters in the Solar System. Mare Imbrium was created when lava flooded the giant crater formed when a very large object hit the Moon long ago...
or by basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, and is relatively smooth and featureless. The crater lacks a central rise at the mid-point, which may have been buried. The inner sides appear to have been somewhat smoothed down, most likely as a result of minor bombardment and seismic shaking from other impacts in the vicinity.
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 Abulfeda.| Abulfeda | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 16.4° S | 10.8° E | 14 km |
| B | 14.5° S | 16.4° E | 15 km |
| BA | 14.6° S | 16.8° E | 13 km |
| C | 12.8° S | 10.9° E | 17 km |
| D | 13.2° S | 9.5° E | 20 km |
| E | 16.7° S | 10.2° E | 6 km |
| F | 16.2° S | 13.0° E | 13 km |
| G | 13.1° S | 9.0° E | 7 km |
| H | 13.8° S | 9.6° E | 5 km |
| J | 15.5° S | 10.0° E | 5 km |
| K | 14.9° S | 10.6° E | 10 km |
| L | 14.1° S | 10.7° E | 5 km |
| M | 16.2° S | 12.1° E | 10 km |
| N | 15.1° S | 12.2° E | 14 km |
| O | 15.4° S | 11.2° E | 7 km |
| P | 15.5° S | 11.5° E | 5 km |
| Q | 12.8° S | 12.3° E | 3 km |
| R | 12.8° S | 13.0° E | 7 km |
| S | 12.2° S | 13.3° E | 5 km |
| T | 14.8° S | 13.8° E | 7 km |
| U | 13.0° S | 13.8° E | 6 km |
| W | 12.5° S | 13.9° E | 5 km |
| X | 15.0° S | 14.0° E | 6 km |
| Y | 12.8° S | 14.1° E | 5 km |
| Z | 14.7° S | 15.2° E | 5 km |