Mercator (crater)
Encyclopedia
Mercator is a lunar
crater
that is located on the southwestern edge of Mare Nubium
, in the southwest part of the Moon
. It is located to the southeast of the crater Campanus
, and the two are separated by a narrow, winding valley.
The Rupes Mercator fault is tangential with the northeastern outer rim of Mercator. The eastern edge of Palus Epidemiarum
reaches the west rim of Mercator, and a rille
from the Rimae Ramsden reaches the western rim at the site of the craterlet Mercator C.
The rim of Mercator is only somewhat eroded, and several tiny craterlets lie on the west and eastern rims. The interior floor has been flooded by lava
in the past, leaving a relatively smooth and featureless surface.
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 southwestern edge of Mare Nubium
Mare Nubium
Mare Nubium is a lunar mare in the Nubium basin on the Moon's near side. The mare is located just to the southeast of Oceanus Procellarum. The actual basin is believed to be of Pre-Nectarian system, with the surrounding basin material being of the Lower Imbrian epoch. The mare material is of the...
, in the southwest 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 is located to the southeast of the crater Campanus
Campanus (crater)
Campanus is a lunar impact crater that is located on the southwestern edge of Mare Nubium. It forms a crater pair with Mercator just to the southeast. Along the southern rampart of Campanus is the small lunar mare named Palus Epidemiarum...
, and the two are separated by a narrow, winding valley.
The Rupes Mercator fault is tangential with the northeastern outer rim of Mercator. The eastern edge of Palus Epidemiarum
Palus Epidemiarum
Palus Epidemiarum is a small lunar mare in the southwestern part of the Moon's near side. It lies to the southwest of Mare Nubium, and southeast of Mare Humorum...
reaches the west rim of Mercator, and a 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...
from the Rimae Ramsden reaches the western rim at the site of the craterlet Mercator C.
The rim of Mercator is only somewhat eroded, and several tiny craterlets lie on the west and eastern rims. The interior floor has been flooded by lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
in the past, leaving a relatively smooth and featureless surface.
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 Mercator.| Mercator | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 30.6° S | 27.8° W | 9 km |
| B | 29.1° S | 25.1° W | 8 km |
| C | 29.1° S | 26.9° W | 8 km |
| D | 29.3° S | 25.3° W | 7 km |
| E | 30.0° S | 26.8° W | 5 km |
| F | 29.6° S | 26.8° W | 4 km |
| G | 31.1° S | 25.0° W | 14 km |
| K | 30.6° S | 22.7° W | 4 km |
| L | 30.7° S | 23.5° W | 4 km |
| M | 30.2° S | 23.6° W | 4 km |