Palmieri (crater)
Encyclopedia
Palmieri is a lunar
crater
that lies to the southwest of the Mare Humorum
, in the southwestern quadrant of the Moon
's near side. It lies due south of the crater Liebig
and east-northeast of the larger Fourier
.
This crater formation has an eroded outer rim that has a gap along the southeastern side and a pair of narrow gaps along the northern rim. The remains of a small, flooded crater form the northern edge of the gap along the southeast. Just to the southwest of Palmieri is the small crater Palmieri E.
The interior floor of Palmieri has been flooded by lava
, leaving a dark interior surface that has a similar albedo
to the lunar mare
to the northeast. This floor is joined with a long expanse of lava surface to the north of Palmieri that proceeds northwards until it reaches the area between Liebig and de Gasparis
. The floor is marked by a system of rille
s named the Rimae Palmieri that continue to the north and southeast beyond the crater perimeter. These narrow rifts extend for about 150 kilometers.
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 to the southwest of the Mare Humorum
Mare Humorum
Mare Humorum is a lunar mare. The impact basin it is located in is 825 kilometers across. It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, geological mapping indicates that it is intermediate in age between the Imbrium and Nectaris Basins, suggesting an...
, in the southwestern quadrant 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 lies due south of the crater Liebig
Liebig (crater)
Liebig is a lunar crater that is located to the south-southeast of the crater Mersenius, and west of the Mare Humorum in the southwest part of the Moon. To the southwest of Liebig is the slightly smaller crater de Gasparis....
and east-northeast of the larger Fourier
Fourier (crater)
Fourier is a lunar crater that is located in the southwestern part of the Moon's near side, just to the southeast of the crater Vieta. To the northeast is the Mare Humorum. The rim of this crater is roughly circular, but appears oval when viewed from the Earth due to foreshortening.Except to the...
.
This crater formation has an eroded outer rim that has a gap along the southeastern side and a pair of narrow gaps along the northern rim. The remains of a small, flooded crater form the northern edge of the gap along the southeast. Just to the southwest of Palmieri is the small crater Palmieri E.
The interior floor of Palmieri 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...
, leaving a dark interior surface that has a similar albedo
Albedo
Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...
to the lunar mare
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
to the northeast. This floor is joined with a long expanse of lava surface to the north of Palmieri that proceeds northwards until it reaches the area between Liebig and de Gasparis
De Gasparis (crater)
de Gasparis is a lunar crater that is located in the southwest part of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the crater Cavendish and south of Mersenius.The rim of de Gasparis is worn and eroded, and the interior has been flooded by basaltic lava...
. The floor is marked by a system of 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...
s named the Rimae Palmieri that continue to the north and southeast beyond the crater perimeter. These narrow rifts extend for about 150 kilometers.
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 Palmieri.| Palmieri | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 32.2° S | 48.4° W | 21 km |
| B | 30.8° S | 48.2° W | 9 km |
| E | 29.2° S | 48.5° W | 14 km |
| G | 32.5° S | 47.6° W | 9 km |
| H | 31.5° S | 47.7° W | 19 km |
| J | 33.6° S | 49.3° W | 10 km |