De Sitter (crater)
Encyclopedia
De Sitter is a lunar
crater
that is located near the northern limb of the Moon
, to the north of the Baillaud
–Euctemon
crater pair. Due to its location, this crater appears very foreshortened when viewed from the Earth
, limiting the detail that can be viewed. The crater also receives sunlight at a low angle, when it is on the sunlit side.
This crater forms part of an unusual three-crater cluster, with De Sitter overlying the northeast rim of De Sitter L and the southern rim of De Sitter M. All three craters are of comparable dimension, with the largest being De Sitter M. Where De Sitter overlies the other two craters, its outer rim appears slumped. The rim is more sharply formed along the east-southeast side. Lying next to this part of the rim is De Sitter G, a small formation of two merged craters.
The interior floor of De Sitter is somewhat irregular and hummocky, with a slender central ridge near the mid-point. There are several small and tiny craterlets across the interior floor. There are some rille
s near the inner wall, possibly volcanic in origin.
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 northern 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...
, to the north of the Baillaud
Baillaud (crater)
Baillaud is a lunar crater that is located near the north limb of the Moon. The rim of the crater has been eroded and worn by a long history of impacts, leaving a hilly ridge surrounding the interior. The crater Euctemon is intruding into the rim to the northeast, and the rim bulges outward to the...
–Euctemon
Euctemon (crater)
Euctemon is a lunar crater that is located in the northern part of the Moon, along the northwest rim of the crater Baillaud. To the southwest of Euctemon is the large walled plain Meton, and to the north-northeast lies the crater De Sitter...
crater pair. Due to its location, this crater appears very foreshortened 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...
, limiting the detail that can be viewed. The crater also receives sunlight at a low angle, when it is on the sunlit side.
This crater forms part of an unusual three-crater cluster, with De Sitter overlying the northeast rim of De Sitter L and the southern rim of De Sitter M. All three craters are of comparable dimension, with the largest being De Sitter M. Where De Sitter overlies the other two craters, its outer rim appears slumped. The rim is more sharply formed along the east-southeast side. Lying next to this part of the rim is De Sitter G, a small formation of two merged craters.
The interior floor of De Sitter is somewhat irregular and hummocky, with a slender central ridge near the mid-point. There are several small and tiny craterlets across the interior floor. There are some 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 near the inner wall, possibly volcanic in origin.
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 De Sitter.| De Sitter | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 80.2° N | 26.6° E | 36 km |
| F | 80.2° N | 51.0° E | 22 km |
| G | 78.9° N | 42.7° E | 9 km |
| L | 78.8° N | 34.5° E | 69 km |
| M | 81.3° N | 38.5° E | 81 km |
| U | 77.8° N | 46.5° E | 37 km |
| V | 79.1° N | 56.9° E | 17 km |
| W | 79.4° N | 54.1° E | 40 km |
| X | 80.3° N | 55.4° E | 9 km |