Fourier (crater)
Encyclopedia
Fourier is a lunar
crater
that is located in the southwestern part of the Moon
's near side, just to the southeast of the crater Vieta
. To the northeast is the Mare Humorum
. The rim of this crater is roughly circular, but appears oval when viewed from the Earth
due to foreshortening.
Except to the north-northwest, the outer rim is not heavily eroded. The satellite crater Fourier B lies along the eastern rim and inner side. The inner wall is relatively wide, and is slumped slightly along the edge forming a shelf near the perimeter. The interior floor is just over half the diameter of the crater rim, and is relatively level with a small crater to the west of the mid-point and another near the northeast edge.
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 southwestern 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...
's near side, just to the southeast of the crater Vieta
Vieta (crater)
Vieta is a lunar impact crater that lies due north of the walled plain Schickard, in the southwestern part of the Moon. About half a crater diameter to the southeast is the smaller Fourier, and to the north-northeast lies Cavendish....
. To the northeast is the Mare Humorum
Mare Humorum
Mare Humorum is a lunar mare. The impact basin it is located in is 825 kilometers across. It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, geological mapping indicates that it is intermediate in age between the Imbrium and Nectaris Basins, suggesting an...
. The rim of this crater is roughly circular, but appears 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...
due to foreshortening.
Except to the north-northwest, the outer rim is not heavily eroded. The satellite crater Fourier B lies along the eastern rim and inner side. The inner wall is relatively wide, and is slumped slightly along the edge forming a shelf near the perimeter. The interior floor is just over half the diameter of the crater rim, and is relatively level with a small crater to the west of the mid-point and another near the northeast edge.
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 Fourier.| Fourier | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 30.2° S | 49.5° W | 32 km |
| B | 30.5° S | 52.0° W | 11 km |
| C | 28.5° S | 51.9° W | 14 km |
| D | 31.5° S | 50.4° W | 21 km |
| E | 28.7° S | 50.1° W | 14 km |
| F | 28.8° S | 52.7° W | 14 km |
| G | 29.4° S | 51.7° W | 11 km |
| K | 30.0° S | 54.2° W | 10 km |
| L | 30.2° S | 52.6° W | 5 km |
| M | 30.4° S | 53.1° W | 4 km |
| N | 33.5° S | 56.4° W | 10 km |
| P | 31.0° S | 54.9° W | 9 km |
| R | 34.2° S | 51.2° W | 9 km |