Piazzi (crater)
Encyclopedia
Piazzi is a lunar
crater
that is located near the southwestern limb of the Moon
, and is attached to the southeastern rim of the walled plain Lagrange
. About three crater diameters to the south is the crater Inghirami
. Piazzi is seen at an oblique angle from the Earth
, and it appears oblong due to foreshortening.
As with Lagrange, this formation has been heavily modified by the ejecta from the formation of the Mare Orientale
impact basin to the northwest. This material has formed radial valleys and ridges across the surface of these craters. The interior floor of Piazzi has dark patches of low albedo along the northeastern rim. The outer rim of the crater is irregular and eroded, and a few small craters lie within the uneven interior.
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 near the southwestern limb 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...
, and is attached to the southeastern rim of the walled plain Lagrange
Lagrange (crater)
Lagrange is a lunar crater that is attached to the northwestern rim of the crater Piazzi. It lies near the southwestern limb of the Moon, and the appearance is oblong due to foreshortening...
. About three crater diameters to the south is the crater Inghirami
Inghirami (crater)
Inghirami is a lunar impact crater that is located toward the southwestern limb of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the large walled plain Schickard. Northwest of Inghirami is the wide Vallis Inghirami, a wide, straight valley that is radial to the Mare Orientale impact basin...
. Piazzi is seen at an oblique angle from the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and it appears oblong due to foreshortening.
As with Lagrange, this formation has been heavily modified by the ejecta from the formation of the Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale
Mare Orientale is one of the most striking large scale lunar features, resembling a target ring bull's-eye. Located on the extreme western edge of the lunar nearside, this impact basin is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective.Material from this basin was not sampled by the Apollo program...
impact basin to the northwest. This material has formed radial valleys and ridges across the surface of these craters. The interior floor of Piazzi has dark patches of low albedo along the northeastern rim. The outer rim of the crater is irregular and eroded, and a few small craters lie within the uneven interior.
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 Piazzi.| Piazzi | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 39.5° S | 66.7° W | 13 km |
| B | 37.5° S | 66.2° W | 8 km |
| C | 37.1° S | 62.6° W | 28 km |
| F | 35.7° S | 61.1° W | 11 km |
| G | 40.2° S | 64.6° W | 10 km |
| H | 40.2° S | 65.7° W | 8 km |
| K | 37.5° S | 68.0° W | 8 km |
| M | 35.9° S | 67.4° W | 6 km |
| N | 35.4° S | 66.0° W | 16 km |
| P | 38.8° S | 67.3° W | 20 km |