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Hecataeus (crater)
Encyclopedia
Hecataeus is a large lunar
crater
that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon
. It is attached to the northern rim of the walled plain Humboldt
. To the northeast is the smaller crater Gibbs
. East of Hecataeus is a chain of tiny craterlets forming a line radial to Humboldt; these are designated the Catena Humboldt, named after the walled plain.
Hecataeus is a worn and eroded walled plain with wide inner walls. Its northern part overlies half of Hecataeus K, a fairly substantial crater. Along the southern rim, the outer rampart of ejecta from Humboldt forms a rugged interior surface across the southern floor. Several small, bowl-shaped craters lay across the eastern rim and inner wall. The western rim is much less damaged by impacts, although it is still eroded. The northern part of the interior floor is relatively featureless.
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 lies near the eastern 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...
. It is attached to the northern rim of the walled plain Humboldt
Humboldt (crater)
Humboldt is a large lunar crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. Due to foreshortening this formation has an extremely oblong appearance. The actual shape of the crater is an irregular circle, with a significant indentation along the southeastern rim where the prominent crater...
. To the northeast is the smaller crater Gibbs
Gibbs (crater)
Gibbs is a lunar impact crater that lies near the eastern limb of the Moon. It is situated less than a crater diameter to the northeast of the larger crater Hecataeus. The crater chain Catena Humboldt passes to the south of Gibbs, following a line to the northeast...
. East of Hecataeus is a chain of tiny craterlets forming a line radial to Humboldt; these are designated the Catena Humboldt, named after the walled plain.
Hecataeus is a worn and eroded walled plain with wide inner walls. Its northern part overlies half of Hecataeus K, a fairly substantial crater. Along the southern rim, the outer rampart of ejecta from Humboldt forms a rugged interior surface across the southern floor. Several small, bowl-shaped craters lay across the eastern rim and inner wall. The western rim is much less damaged by impacts, although it is still eroded. The northern part of the interior floor is relatively featureless.
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 Hecataeus.| Hecataeus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 22.0° S | 81.6° E | 11 km |
| B | 19.5° S | 75.6° E | 69 km |
| C | 19.0° S | 73.2° E | 22 km |
| E | 18.5° S | 72.8° E | 13 km |
| J | 22.6° S | 80.8° E | 11 km |
| K | 19.1° S | 79.8° E | 76 km |
| L | 19.1° S | 79.0° E | 21 km |
| M | 20.9° S | 84.1° E | 18 km |
| N | 21.0° S | 80.8° E | 10 km |