List of craters with ray systems
Encyclopedia
This is a list of craters with ray system
s. In the following tables, the listed coordinates and the diameter are for the crater.
Mercury
The following craters on Mercury possess ray systems.
Mars
The following craters on Mars possess ray systems (These were discovered in THEMIS
infrared images).
Moon
This table lists the lunar impact craters that have ray systems. Crater names followed by a letter are satellite craters associated with the primary crater of the same name.
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...
s. In the following tables, the listed coordinates and the diameter are for the crater.
MercuryMercury (planet)Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
The following craters on Mercury possess ray systems.| 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... |
Latitude Latitude In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a... |
Longitude Longitude Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda .... |
Diameter Diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debussy Debussy (crater) Debussy is a rayed impact crater on Mercury, which was discovered in 1969 by low resolution ground based radar observations obtained by the Goldstone Observatory. Later in 1990–2005 it was imaged in more detail by the Arecibo Observatory. The crater was initially known as the feature A... |
33.9° S | 347.5° W | 85 km |
| Degas Degas (crater) Degas is a rayed crater on Mercury at latitude 37.5, longitude 127. It is 45 km wide and was named after Edgar Degas. The rays consist of light colored material blasted out during the crater's formation. Craters older than Degas are covered by the ray material, while younger craters are seen... |
37.4° N | 126.4° W | 60 km |
| Hokusai Hokusai (crater) Hokusai is a rayed impact crater on Mercury, which was discovered in 1991 by ground based radar observations conducted in the Goldstone Observatory. The crater was initially known as the feature B. Its appearance was so dissimilar to other impact craters that it once was thought to be a shield... |
58.3° N | 342.3° W | 95 km |
| Kuiper Kuiper (crater on Mercury) Kuiper is a moderate-size crater with a central peak cluster located at 11 S, 31.5 W on Mercury. It is 60 km in diameter and was named after Gerard Kuiper. Kuiper crater has the highest recorded albedo of any region on the planet's surface, suggesting that it is one of the youngest craters.Kuiper... |
11.3° S | 31.5° W | 62 km |
MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
The following craters on Mars possess ray systems (These were discovered in THEMISThemis
Themis is an ancient Greek Titaness. She is described as "of good counsel", and is the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom. Themis means "divine law" rather than human ordinance, literally "that which is put in place", from the verb τίθημι, títhēmi, "to put"...
infrared images).
| 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... |
Latitude Latitude In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a... |
Longitude Longitude Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda .... |
Diameter Diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dilly | 37.4° N | 126.4° E | 2 km |
| Unnamed | 22.5° N | 151.4° E | 2.5 km |
| Gratteri | 17.7° S | 199.9° E | 6.9 km |
| Tomini | 16.3° N | 125.9° E | 7.4 km |
| Zumba | 28.7° S | 226.9° E | 3.3 km |
| Zunil Zunil (crater) Zunil is an impact crater near the Cerberus Fossae on Mars, with a diameter of . It is named after a town in Guatemala. Visible in images from the Viking 1 and Viking 2 Mars orbiters in the 1970s, Zunil was subsequently imaged at higher resolution for the first time by the Mars Global Surveyor ... |
7.7° N | 166° E | 10.4 km |
| Corinto | 16.9° N | 141.7° E | 13.5 km |
MoonMoonThe 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...
This table lists the lunar impact craters that have ray systems. Crater names followed by a letter are satellite craters associated with the primary crater of the same name.| 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... |
Latitude Latitude In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a... |
Longitude Longitude Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda .... |
Diameter Diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaxagoras Anaxagoras (crater) Anaxagoras is a young lunar impact crater that is located near the north pole of the Moon. It lies across the larger and more heavily worn crater Goldschmidt. To the south-southeast is Epigenes, and due south is the worn remains of Birmingham.... |
73.4° N | 10.1° W | 50 km |
| Aristarchus Aristarchus (crater) Aristarchus is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the northwest part of the Moon's near side. It is considered the brightest of the large formations on the lunar surface, with an albedo nearly double that of most lunar features. The feature is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye,... |
23.7° N | 47.4° W | 40 km |
| Aristillus Aristillus (crater) Aristillus is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the eastern Mare Imbrium. Directly to the south is the smaller crater Autolycus, while to the southwest is the large Archimedes. The area of mare to the southwest is named the Sinus Lunicus... |
33.9° N | 1.2° E | 55 km |
| Autolycus Autolycus (crater) Autolycus is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southeast part of Mare Imbrium. West of the formation is Archimedes, a formation more than double the size of Autolycus... |
30.7° N | 1.5° E | 39 km |
| Byrgius A Byrgius (crater) Byrgius is a lunar crater located in the western part of the Moon, near the limb. As a result Byrgius appears strongly oval in form due to foreshortening. To the northwest is the nearly ruined crater Lamarck. The rim of Byrgius is worn and eroded, with Byrgius A overlying the eastern rim and... |
24.5° S | 63.7° W | 19 km |
| Copernicus | 9.7° N | 20.1° W | 93 km |
| Crookes Crookes (crater) Crookes is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side as seen from the Earth. It lies just to the southwest of the giant crater Korolev. To the southwest of Crookes is McKellar.... |
10.3° S | 164.5° W | 49 km |
| Das Das (crater) Das is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the northwest of the walled plain Chebyshev. To the southwest of Das is the irregular crater Mariotte, and Von der Pahlen lies to the east-northeast.... |
26.6° S | 136.8° W | 38 km |
| Dionysius Dionysius (crater) Dionysius is a lunar impact crater that lies on the western edge of the Mare Tranquillitatis. To the southeast is the crater pair of Ritter and Sabine. Just to the northwest is the system of rilles designated Rimae Ritter. These clefts follow a generally northwest direction.The rim of Dionysius is... |
2.8° N | 17.3° E | 18 km |
| Fechner T Fechner (crater) Fechner is a lunar crater that lies on the far side of the Moon's southern hemisphere, attached to the western rim of the large walled plain Planck. The eastern rim of Fechner intersects the Vallis Planck, a long, wide cleft in the surface that follows a course to the north-northwest... |
59.1° S | 122.9° E | 14 km |
| Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (crater) Giordano Bruno is a 22 km lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northeastern limb. At this location it lies in an area that can be viewed during a favorable libration, although at such times the area is viewed from the side and not much detail can be seen... |
35.9° N | 102.8° E | 22 km |
| Glushko Glushko (crater) Glushko is a young impact crater on the Moon attached to the western rim of the crater Olbers.Glushko possesses a relatively high albedo and is the focus of a prominent ray system that extends in all directions across the nearby surface. It has sharp, well-defined features that, combined with its... |
8.4° N | 77.6° W | 43 km |
| Godin Godin (crater) Godin is a lunar impact crater located just to the south of the crater Agrippa, on a rough upland region to the east of Sinus Medii. The ruined crater Tempel lies to the northeast, on the east side of Agrippa. Due south is the flooded remains of Lade.... |
1.8° N | 10.2° E | 34 km |
| Harpalus Harpalus (crater) Harpalus is a young lunar impact crater that lies on the Mare Frigoris, at the eastern edge of the Sinus Roris. To the southeast at the edge of the mare is the small crater Foucault, and to the northwest on the opposite edge is the walled plain named South.... |
52.6° N | 43.4° W | 39 km |
| Jackson Jackson (crater) Jackson is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. Less than one crater to the northeast is the crater Mineur, and to the south-southwest lies McMath.... |
22.4° N | 163.1° W | 71 km |
| Joule T Joule (crater) Joule is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the north-northeast of the walled plain Mach. To the northwest of Joule is the crater Blazhko.... |
27.7° N | 148.2° W | 37 km |
| Kepler Kepler (lunar crater) Kepler is a lunar impact crater that lies between the Oceanus Procellarum to the west and Mare Insularum in the east. To the southeast is the crater Encke.... |
8.1° N | 38.0° W | 31 km |
| Langrenus Langrenus (crater) Langrenus is a prominent impact crater located near the eastern lunar limb. The feature is circular in shape, but appears oblong due to foreshortening. It lies on the eastern shore of the Mare Fecunditatis... |
8.9° S | 61.1° E | 127 km |
| Larmor Q Larmor (crater) Larmor is a crater on the Moon's far side. It is located to the east-southeast of Shayn and due north of Dante. It is named in honor of the physicist Joseph Larmor.... |
28.6° N | 176.2° E | 22 km |
| Laue G Laue (crater) Laue is a lunar impact crater that lies across the south-southwestern rim and interior floor of the huge walled plain Lorentz. This feature is located on the Moon's far side, just beyond the west-northwestern limb. This crater also is located to the left of Jake's house... |
27.8° N | 93.2° W | 36 km |
| Messier A Messier (crater) Messier is a relatively young lunar impact crater located on the Mare Fecunditatis. The crater has a discernible oblong shape that is not caused by foreshortening. The longer dimension is oriented in an east–west direction.... |
2.0° S | 47.0° E | 13 km |
| Moore F Moore (crater) Moore is an impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. Like much of the far side, Moore is located in a region that has been saturated by impacts... |
20.2° N | 176.1° W | 25 km |
| Necho Necho (crater) Necho is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, and therefore cannot be seen directly from the Earth. It lies to the northeast of the larger crater Langemak, and about a crater diameter to the south-southwest of Bečvář.... |
5.0° S | 123.1° E | 30 km |
| Ohm Ohm (crater) Ohm is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies to the south of the crater Comrie, and the satellite crater Comrie K is attached to Ohm's northeastern rim... |
18.4° N | 113.5° W | 64 km |
| Petavius B Petavius (crater) Petavius is a large lunar impact crater located to the southeast of the Mare Fecunditatis, near the southeastern lunar limb. Attached to the northwest rim is the smaller crater Wrottesley. To the southeast are Palitzsch, Vallis Palitzsch, and Hase. Farther to the north is the large crater Vendelinus... |
19.9° S | 57.1° E | 33 km |
| Proclus Proclus (crater) Proclus is a young lunar impact crater located to the west of the Mare Crisium, on the east shore of the Palus Somni. It lies to the south of the prominent, terraced crater Macrobius, and west-northwest of the lava-flooded Yerkes... |
16.1° N | 46.8° E | 28 km |
| Sirsalis F Sirsalis (crater) Sirsalis is a relatively young lunar impact crater located near the western lunar limb, to the southwest of the Oceanus Procellarum. The crater lies across a ridge that runs in a north–south direction. It has a sharp edge and a low central peak... |
13.5° S | 60.1° W | 13 km |
| Stevinus A Stevinus (crater) Stevinus is a lunar impact crater located in the southeast part of the Moon. To the southeast is the large crater Furnerius. Just to the northeast is Snellius and the Vallis Snellius crater valley. To the west-northwest lies Reichenbach... |
31.8° S | 51.6° E | 8 km |
| Thales Thales (crater) Thales is a small crater located in the northeast part of the Moon, just to the west of the larger crater Strabo. To the southeast is the walled plain De La Rue. Thales has a sharp, circular rim that has received little erosion. The lunar surface around Thales has a ray system that extends for over... |
61.8° N | 50.3° E | 31 km |
| Timocharis Timocharis (crater) Timocharis is a prominent lunar impact crater located on the Mare Imbrium. The closest crater of comparable dimensions is Lambert to the west. The smaller craters Feuillée and Beer lie to the east of Timocharis.... |
26.7° N | 13.1° W | 33 km |
| Triesnecker Triesnecker (crater) Triesnecker is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located in the Sinus Medii, near the central part of the Moon's near side. It is located to the north-northwest of the crater Rhaeticus, and to the east-southeast of the flooded Murchison.... |
4.2° N | 3.6° E | 26 km |
| Tycho Tycho (crater) Tycho is a prominent lunar impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands, named after the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe . To the south is the crater Street; to the east is Pictet, and to the north-northeast is Sasserides. The surface around Tycho is replete with craters of various sizes,... |
43.4° S | 11.1° W | 102 km |
| Ventris M Ventris (crater) Ventris is a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located between the crater Schliemann just to the northwest and the large Keeler which lies slightly farther to the southeast. One crater diameter to the northeast is Vening Meinesz.... |
4.9° S | 158.0° E | 95 km |