Finsen (crater)
Encyclopedia
Finsen is a lunar
impact crater
that is located in the southern hemisphere
, on the Moon
's far side. It is attached to the southeastern exterior of the walled plain Leibnitz
, and the ejecta from Finsen covers the southeastern part of Leibnitz's interior floor. To the southwest of Finsen is another walled plain, Von Kármán
, partly overlain by Leibnitz.
This is a relatively young impact crater with well-defined features that have not been significantly eroded by subsequent impacts. The rim is circular but somewhat uneven along the edge, with outward protrusions along all sides except to the north and northwest. The inner wall has slumped in places, producing a sharp rim edge in the southern half. There are also a number of short terraces along the inner wall.
The inner wall is wider to the north, and so the relatively level interior floor is offset slightly to the south. At the mid-point of the crater is a central peak formation, occupying an area of roughly 15 km. This central peak has a higher albedo
than the surrounding floor or rim, giving a lightened appearance. There are no significant impacts along the crater rim or within the interior.
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...
that is located in the southern hemisphere
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
, 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...
's far side. It is attached to the southeastern exterior of the walled plain Leibnitz
Leibnitz (crater)
Leibnitz is a huge lunar crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This formation is the same size as Clavius on the near side. It is located to the east-southeast of Mare Ingenii, and is joined to the northeast rim of Von Kármán. Attached to the eastern rim of...
, and the ejecta from Finsen covers the southeastern part of Leibnitz's interior floor. To the southwest of Finsen is another walled plain, Von Kármán
Von Kármán (lunar crater)
Von Kármán is a lunar crater that is located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. The northern third of this formation is overlain by the rim and outer rampart of the walled plain Leibnitz, forming a deep indentation in the formation...
, partly overlain by Leibnitz.
This is a relatively young impact crater with well-defined features that have not been significantly eroded by subsequent impacts. The rim is circular but somewhat uneven along the edge, with outward protrusions along all sides except to the north and northwest. The inner wall has slumped in places, producing a sharp rim edge in the southern half. There are also a number of short terraces along the inner wall.
The inner wall is wider to the north, and so the relatively level interior floor is offset slightly to the south. At the mid-point of the crater is a central peak formation, occupying an area of roughly 15 km. This central peak has a higher 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...
than the surrounding floor or rim, giving a lightened appearance. There are no significant impacts along the crater rim or within the interior.
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 Finsen.| Finsen | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 40.6° S | 175.8° W | 26 km |
| G | 43.0° S | 175.3° W | 33 km |