Petzval (crater)
Encyclopedia
Petzval is a lunar
impact crater
that lies in the southern latitudes of the Moon
's far side. This crater is located to the south of the larger Lippman
, and to the north of Doerfel
. It was namer after the Hungarian-German inventor Joseph Petzval.
This is a moderately worn crater formation with features that have become rounded and less well defined due to impact erosion. There are only a few small craterlets along parts of the rim and inner wall. Some faded terrace structures appear along parts of the inner wall to the east and south. Within the interior are small craters in the southwest and northeast sections of the floor. Near the mid-point is a worn central peak.
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 southern latitudes 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 far side. This crater is located to the south of the larger Lippman
Lippmann (crater)
Lippmann is a large lunar impact crater in the southern part of the far side of the Moon and so cannot be viewed directly from the Earth. Just to the northeast is the walled plain Mendel, only slightly smaller than Lippmann. To the south-southeast lies the crater Petzval.As with many lunar...
, and to the north of Doerfel
Doerfel (crater)
Doerfel is a lunar impact crater that is located in the vicinity of the southern pole, just on the far side of the Moon. It lies approximately midway between the large crater Hausen to the east-northeast and the even larger Zeeman to the southwest....
. It was namer after the Hungarian-German inventor Joseph Petzval.
This is a moderately worn crater formation with features that have become rounded and less well defined due to impact erosion. There are only a few small craterlets along parts of the rim and inner wall. Some faded terrace structures appear along parts of the inner wall to the east and south. Within the interior are small craters in the southwest and northeast sections of the floor. Near the mid-point is a worn central peak.
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 Petzval.| Petzval | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 60.3° S | 107.8° W | 52 km |
| D | 60.2° S | 105.9° W | 23 km |