Crüger (crater)
Encyclopedia
Crüger is a lunar
crater
that is located in the western part of the Moon
, to the northeast of the much larger walled plain Darwin
.
The most distinctive feature about this crater is very dark interior floor that is one of the lowest albedo
features on the Moon
. The surface has been covered in basalt
ic lava
and has only been exposed to a minimal amount of deposition from impact ejecta. The floor is nearly featureless, with only a tiny craterlet near the center and few other even more diminutive impacts. The outer rim is low and nearly circular, and has not been significantly reshaped by impacts.
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 in the western part 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 of the much larger walled plain Darwin
Darwin (lunar crater)
Darwin is a lunar crater of the type categorised as a walled plain. It lies in the southeastern part of the Moon, and is sufficiently close to the limb to appear significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth. Attached to its southern rim is Lamarck...
.
The most distinctive feature about this crater is very dark interior floor that is one of the lowest albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
features 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...
. The surface has been covered in 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 has only been exposed to a minimal amount of deposition from impact ejecta. The floor is nearly featureless, with only a tiny craterlet near the center and few other even more diminutive impacts. The outer rim is low and nearly circular, and has not been significantly reshaped by impacts.
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 Crüger.| Crüger | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 16.0° S | 62.7° W | 27 km |
| B | 17.2° S | 71.6° W | 13 km |
| C | 16.8° S | 61.9° W | 12 km |
| D | 15.3° S | 64.5° W | 12 km |
| E | 17.5° S | 65.2° W | 16 km |
| F | 14.2° S | 64.4° W | 9 km |
| G | 17.9° S | 68.0° W | 8 km |
| H | 18.0° S | 65.2° W | 7 km |