Galois (crater)
Encyclopedia
Galois is a large lunar
crater
on the far side of the Moon
. Features of this class are commonly termed walled plains, due to their appearance and dimension. It is located just to the southeast of another huge walled plain, Korolev
, a formation nearly double the diameter of Galois. Several hundred kilometers due south is another enormous feature, Apollo
.
This is a heavily eroded feature with a rim that has been reshaped by impacts, particularly along the northwest edge where it lies near Korolev. An influx of material forms an inward bulge along the southern edge, which is impacted by Galois Q. The interior floor is also overlain by several notable craters, with the craters Galois A and Galois L forming a nearly matching pair near the mid-point. Along the northeastern rim are Galois B and Galois C, while Galois U lies against the northwestern inner wall. The most intact and nearly level section of floor is along the southwestern part of the interior.
A small, unnamed impact crater located along the northeastern rim of Galois has a relatively high albedo
and lies at the focus of a small ray system
. The rays from this impact are the most prominent to the north, where they cross the floor of the crater Mechnikov
. Craters that have a ray system are considered indicative of a relatively recent impact, as the rays are steadily erased by space weathering.
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...
on the far side 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...
. Features of this class are commonly termed walled plains, due to their appearance and dimension. It is located just to the southeast of another huge walled plain, Korolev
Korolev (lunar crater)
Korolev is a large lunar crater of the walled plain type, named for Soviet rocket engineer Sergey Korolyov. It lies on the far side of the Moon, and the northern part of its floor crosses the lunar equator...
, a formation nearly double the diameter of Galois. Several hundred kilometers due south is another enormous feature, Apollo
Apollo (crater)
Apollo is an enormous impact crater located in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. This formation dwarfs the large crater Oppenheimer that is located next to the western rim. The crater Barringer lies across the northern wall...
.
This is a heavily eroded feature with a rim that has been reshaped by impacts, particularly along the northwest edge where it lies near Korolev. An influx of material forms an inward bulge along the southern edge, which is impacted by Galois Q. The interior floor is also overlain by several notable craters, with the craters Galois A and Galois L forming a nearly matching pair near the mid-point. Along the northeastern rim are Galois B and Galois C, while Galois U lies against the northwestern inner wall. The most intact and nearly level section of floor is along the southwestern part of the interior.
A small, unnamed impact crater located along the northeastern rim of Galois has a relatively high 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...
and lies at the focus of a small ray system
Ray system
A ray system comprises radial streaks of fine ejecta thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking a bit like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays can extend for lengths up to several times the diameter of their originating crater, and are often accompanied by...
. The rays from this impact are the most prominent to the north, where they cross the floor of the crater Mechnikov
Mechnikov (crater)
Mechnikov is an impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just to the northeast of the much larger walled plain Galois, being separated by a stretch of irregular terrain about 20–30 km in width....
. Craters that have a ray system are considered indicative of a relatively recent impact, as the rays are steadily erased by space weathering.
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 Galois.| Galois | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 14.0° S | 152.5° W | 54 km |
| B | 11.3° S | 151.8° W | 20 km |
| C | 12.4° S | 150.5° W | 22 km |
| F | 13.9° S | 146.4° W | 13 km |
| H | 15.2° S | 150.9° W | 19 km |
| L | 15.5° S | 152.0° W | 51 km |
| M | 16.1° S | 152.4° W | 18 km |
| Q | 15.2° S | 154.7° W | 132 km |
| S | 14.5° S | 154.9° W | 18 km |
| U | 13.2° S | 154.7° W | 35 km |