Balboa (lunar crater)
Encyclopedia
Balboa is a lunar
crater
that is located near the western limb of the Moon
. Due to foreshortening, the crater appears highly oval when viewed from the Earth
. In actuality, however, the formation is relatively circular. It is comparable in size to the crater Dalton
, located just to the southwest. The eastern rim of Balboa lies just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum
.
The rim of Balboa is worn and eroded, with the most intact sections along the eastern and western edges. The crater interior has been flooded with basalt
ic lava
in the past, and the system is marked with rille
s, particularly near the northern edge.
Balboa A is a well-formed impact crater located just to the southeast of Balboa, with a sharp, notched rim and an irregular interior. Its diameter is only somewhat smaller than Dalton directly to the west.
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...
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...
that is located near the western limb 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...
. Due to foreshortening, the crater appears highly oval when viewed from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. In actuality, however, the formation is relatively circular. It is comparable in size to the crater Dalton
Dalton (crater)
Dalton is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon's near side. It is attached to the eastern rim of the walled plain Einstein, with Balboa lying just to the north and Vasco da Gama due south. The rim of this crater is not heavily eroded, and the interior walls are...
, located just to the southwest. The eastern rim of Balboa lies just to the west of the Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum
Oceanus Procellarum is a vast lunar mare on the western edge of the near side of the Earth's Moon. Its name derives from the old superstition that its appearance during the second quarter heralded bad weather...
.
The rim of Balboa is worn and eroded, with the most intact sections along the eastern and western edges. The crater interior has been flooded with 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...
in the past, and the system is marked with rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
s, particularly near the northern edge.
Balboa A is a well-formed impact crater located just to the southeast of Balboa, with a sharp, notched rim and an irregular interior. Its diameter is only somewhat smaller than Dalton directly to the west.
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 Balboa.| Balboa | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 17.4° N | 81.9° W | 47 km |
| B | 20.3° N | 82.3° W | 62 km |
| C | 19.6° N | 79.1° W | 27 km |
| D | 18.2° N | 79.7° W | 40 km |