La Condamine (crater)
Encyclopedia
La Condamine is a small lunar
crater
that is located on the southern edge of the Mare Frigoris
, in the northern part of the Moon
. It lies to the northeast of the mountain-rimmed Sinus Iridum
formation in the northwest part of the Mare Imbrium
.
The crater rim is low and rounded, with the edge worn and eroded along the northeast side. The outer wall is somewhat polygon
al, particularly in the southwestern half. The interior is fairly flat with no central peak, but there is a low curved, double rille
in the western half that reaches toward the northern rim.
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 on the southern edge of the Mare Frigoris
Mare Frigoris
Mare Frigoris is a lunar mare located just north of Mare Imbrium, and stretches east to north of Mare Serenitatis. The mare is in the outer rings of the Procellarum basin...
, in the northern 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...
. It lies to the northeast of the mountain-rimmed Sinus Iridum
Sinus Iridum
Sinus Iridum is a plain of basaltic lava that forms a northwestern extension to the Mare Imbrium. It is surrounded from the northeast to the southwest by the Montes Jura range. The protruding part of the range at the southwest end is named Promontorium Heraclides, while that at the northeast end...
formation in the northwest part of the Mare Imbrium
Mare Imbrium
Mare Imbrium, Latin for "Sea of Showers" or "Sea of Rains", is a vast lunar mare filling a basin on Earth's Moon and one of the larger craters in the Solar System. Mare Imbrium was created when lava flooded the giant crater formed when a very large object hit the Moon long ago...
.
The crater rim is low and rounded, with the edge worn and eroded along the northeast side. The outer wall is somewhat polygon
Polygon
In geometry a polygon is a flat shape consisting of straight lines that are joined to form a closed chain orcircuit.A polygon is traditionally a plane figure that is bounded by a closed path, composed of a finite sequence of straight line segments...
al, particularly in the southwestern half. The interior is fairly flat with no central peak, but there is a low curved, double 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...
in the western half that reaches toward the northern rim.
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 La Condamine.| La Condamine | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 54.4° N | 30.1° W | 18 km |
| B | 58.8° N | 31.5° W | 17 km |
| C | 52.4° N | 30.2° W | 10 km |
| D | 53.5° N | 30.8° W | 10 km |
| E | 57.7° N | 31.9° W | 8 km |
| F | 57.3° N | 31.0° W | 7 km |
| G | 54.8° N | 28.1° W | 8 km |
| H | 53.1° N | 26.6° W | 6 km |
| J | 56.0° N | 19.3° W | 7 km |
| K | 51.9° N | 25.5° W | 7 km |
| L | 53.6° N | 26.7° W | 6 km |
| M | 54.2° N | 26.6° W | 7 km |
| N | 53.8° N | 25.6° W | 9 km |
| O | 55.1° N | 25.6° W | 7 km |
| P | 52.9° N | 23.5° W | 6 km |
| Q | 52.6° N | 23.9° W | 9 km |
| R | 55.0° N | 21.3° W | 7 km |
| S | 57.3° N | 25.2° W | 4 km |
| T | 59.2° N | 29.6° W | 6 km |
| U | 54.5° N | 22.7° W | 7 km |
| V | 54.5° N | 24.1° W | 6 km |
| X | 57.2° N | 21.4° W | 4 km |