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Clavius (crater)
Encyclopedia
Clavius is one of the largest crater
formations on the Moon
, and it is the third largest crater on the visible near side. It is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon, to the south of the prominent ray crater Tycho
.
surface and was likely formed during the Nectarian period
about 4 billion
years ago. Despite its age, however, the crater is relatively well-preserved. It has a relatively low outer wall in comparison to their size, and it is heavily worn and pock-marked by craterlets. The rim does not significantly overlook the surrounding terrain, making this a "walled depression". The inner surface of the rim is hilly, notched, and varies in width, with the steepest portion in the south end. Overall the rim has been observed to have a somewhat polygon
al outline.
of their small telescope
s.
The crater floor retains a diminished remnant of a central massif, which lies between Clavius C and N. The relative smoothness of the floor and the low size of the central peaks may indicate that the crater surface was formed some time after the original impact.
to the west; Blancanus
to the southwest; Maginus
in the northeast, and Longomontanus
to the northwest. The crater Rutherfurd
lies entirely within the southeastern rim, while Porter
overlays the northeast wall. The smaller crater Clavius L lies across the western rim, and Clavius K breaks through the west-southwest rim.
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...
formations on 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...
, and it is the third largest crater on the visible near side. It is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon, to the south of the prominent ray crater Tycho
Tycho (crater)
Tycho is a prominent lunar impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands, named after the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe . To the south is the crater Street; to the east is Pictet, and to the north-northeast is Sasserides. The surface around Tycho is replete with craters of various sizes,...
.
Description
Due to the location of the crater toward the southern limb, the crater appears oblong due to foreshortening. Because of its great size, Clavius can be detected with the unaided eye. It appears as a prominent notch in the terminator about 1-2 days after the Moon reaches first quarter. The crater is one of the older formations on the lunarMoon
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...
surface and was likely formed during the Nectarian period
Nectarian
The Nectarian Period of the lunar geologic timescale runs from 3920 million years ago to 3850 million years ago. It is the period during which the Nectaris Basin and other major basins were formed by large impact events...
about 4 billion
1000000000 (number)
1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....
years ago. Despite its age, however, the crater is relatively well-preserved. It has a relatively low outer wall in comparison to their size, and it is heavily worn and pock-marked by craterlets. The rim does not significantly overlook the surrounding terrain, making this a "walled depression". The inner surface of the rim is hilly, notched, and varies in width, with the steepest portion in the south end. Overall the rim has been observed to have a somewhat polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
al outline.
Crater floor
The floor of the crater forms a convex plain that is marked by some interesting crater impacts. The most notable of these is a curving chain of craters that begin with Rutherfurd in the south, then arc across the floor in a counterclockwise direction forming a sequence of ever diminishing diameters. From largest to smallest, these craters are designated Clavius D, C, N, J, and JA. This sequence of diminishing craters has proved a useful tool for amateur astronomers who want to test the resolutionOptical resolution
Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail in the object that is being imaged.An imaging system may have many individual components including a lens and recording and display components...
of their small telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
s.
The crater floor retains a diminished remnant of a central massif, which lies between Clavius C and N. The relative smoothness of the floor and the low size of the central peaks may indicate that the crater surface was formed some time after the original impact.
Nearby craters
Notable nearby craters include ScheinerScheiner (crater)
Scheiner is a lunar impact crater that lies to the west of the enormous walled plain Clavius. To the southeast near the rim of Clavius is the crater Blancanus. The rim of Scheiner is worn, eroded, and marked with multiple impacts. It is most heavily worn in the northern part, where a cluster of...
to the west; Blancanus
Blancanus (crater)
Blancanus is a lunar impact crater located in the rugged southern region of the Moon, to the southwest of the walled plain Clavius. To the northwest lies the comparably sized crater Scheiner, and south-southwest of Blancanus is the worn Klaproth....
to the southwest; Maginus
Maginus (crater)
Maginus is an ancient lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands to the southeast of the prominent crater Tycho. It is a large formation almost three quarters the diameter of Clavius, which lies to the southwest...
in the northeast, and Longomontanus
Longomontanus (crater)
Longomontanus is an ancient lunar impact crater located in the rugged southern highlands to the southwest of the bright ray crater Tycho. It is of the variety of large lunar formations sometimes called a "walled plain", although it is actually more of a circular depression in the surface...
to the northwest. The crater Rutherfurd
Rutherfurd (crater)
Rutherfurd is a lunar impact crater located entirely within the southern rim of the much larger crater Clavius. The crater Porter is located to the north-northeast of Rutherfurd, on the northeastern rim of Clavius. Rutherfurd forms the larger member in an arcing chain of craters of decreasing size...
lies entirely within the southeastern rim, while Porter
Porter (lunar crater)
Porter is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern part of the Moon, and lies across the northwestern rim of the huge walled plain Clavius. Although generally circular, the form of this crater has been modified by the geometry of the surface on which it was formed. The outer rim is...
overlays the northeast wall. The smaller crater Clavius L lies across the western rim, and Clavius K breaks through the west-southwest rim.
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 Clavius.| Clavius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 57.7° S | 14.2° W | 21 km |
| D | 58.8° S | 12.4° W | 28 km |
| E | 51.5° S | 12.6° W | 16 km |
| F | 55.4° S | 21.9° W | 7 km |
| G | 52.0° S | 13.9° W | 17 km |
| H | 51.9° S | 15.8° W | 34 km |
| J | 58.1° S | 18.1° W | 12 km |
| K | 60.4° S | 19.8° W | 20 km |
| L | 58.7° S | 21.2° W | 24 km |
| M | 54.8° S | 11.9° W | 44 km |
| N | 57.5° S | 16.5° W | 13 km |
| O | 56.8° S | 16.4° W | 4 km |
| P | 57.0° S | 7.7° W | 10 km |
| R | 53.1° S | 15.4° W | 7 km |
| T | 60.4° S | 14.9° W | 9 km |
| W | 55.8° S | 16.0° W | 6 km |
| X | 60.0° S | 17.6° W | 7 km |
| Y | 57.8° S | 16.0° W | 7 km |
See also
- Clavius BaseClavius BaseClavius Base is a lunar settlement in the fictional Space Odyssey universe created by Arthur C. Clarke.The base, located at Clavius crater, is featured in both the novel and film versions of 2001: A Space Odyssey. According to the novel, the base was finished in 1994 by United States Astronautical...
, the site of a lunar administrative facility in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
.