Orontius (crater)
Encyclopedia
Orontius is a lunar
impact crater
that lies in the heavily cratered southern highlands of the Moon
's near side. It is located to the northwest of the prominent ray crater Tycho
, and south and east of the large walled plain Deslandres
. The eastern part of the crater is overlain by the smaller crater Huggins
, which is overlain in turn on its eastern rim by the still smaller Nasireddin
, the trio forming a crater chain of diminishing dimensions. Joined to the southern rim is the crater Saussure
. To the southwest, just east of Tycho, is Pictet
.
The rim of Orontius is battered, worn, and overlain by a number of different craters. A pair of craters to the west have intruded into the crater wall, forming inward bulges. Little of the original wall remains nearly intact, with the south and southwestern rim having survived the erosion process better than the other wall sections.
The southwest half of the crater floor is still fairly flat and marred only by a few small craterlets. In the north of the crater, the distorted feature Orontius F forms a distorted, crater-like oval.
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...
impact 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 in the heavily cratered southern highlands 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...
's near side. It is located to the northwest of the prominent ray crater 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,...
, and south and east of the large walled plain Deslandres
Deslandres (crater)
Deslandres is the heavily worn and distorted remains of a lunar impact crater. It is located to the southeast of the Mare Nubium, in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. In dimension it is the second-largest crater formation on the visible Moon, being beaten only by the 303-kilometer-diameter...
. The eastern part of the crater is overlain by the smaller crater Huggins
Huggins (lunar crater)
Huggins is a lunar crater that lies in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon's near side. This crater lies across the eastern rim of the larger crater Orontius. The eastern rim of Huggins is laid across in turn by the slightly smaller crater Nasireddin. Thus these three craters form a triplet...
, which is overlain in turn on its eastern rim by the still smaller Nasireddin
Nasireddin (crater)
Nasireddin is a lunar impact crater that lies in the rugged terrain in the southern part of the Moon's near side. This crater overlaps two older formations, intruding into the crater Miller to the north and Huggins to the west...
, the trio forming a crater chain of diminishing dimensions. Joined to the southern rim is the crater Saussure
Saussure (crater)
Saussure is a lunar crater. It is located in the crater-riddled terrain in the southern hemisphere of the Moon's near side. Just to the north and nearly attached to the rim is the larger crater Orontius. About a half crater diameter due west is the slightly larger crater Pictet...
. To the southwest, just east of Tycho, is Pictet
Pictet (crater)
Pictet is a lunar impact crater located just to the east of the larger and more prominent impact crater Tycho. The high-albedo rays and ejecta from Tycho lie across Pictet and spread far to the east and in other directions. Pictet is older than Tycho and is somewhat worn by past impacts. The...
.
The rim of Orontius is battered, worn, and overlain by a number of different craters. A pair of craters to the west have intruded into the crater wall, forming inward bulges. Little of the original wall remains nearly intact, with the south and southwestern rim having survived the erosion process better than the other wall sections.
The southwest half of the crater floor is still fairly flat and marred only by a few small craterlets. In the north of the crater, the distorted feature Orontius F forms a distorted, crater-like oval.
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 Orontius.| Orontius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 39.1° S | 2.6° W | 7 km |
| B | 40.0° S | 3.1° W | 10 km |
| C | 37.9° S | 4.1° W | 15 km |
| D | 39.4° S | 6.2° W | 15 km |
| E | 39.5° S | 4.8° W | 6 km |
| F | 39.1° S | 3.9° W | 41 km |