Riccioli (crater)
Encyclopedia
Riccioli is a large lunar
impact crater
located near the western limb of the Moon
. It lies just to the northwest of the even larger and more prominent crater Grimaldi
. To the southwest are the craters Hartwig
and Schlüter
that lie on the northeastern edge of Montes Cordillera, the ring-shaped range that surrounds Mare Orientale
. Due to its location, Riccioli appears strongly foreshortened and is viewed almost from the side.
Riccioli has been heavily worn and eroded, most notably by ejecta from the impact that created the Orientale basin. This debris has created radial features towards the northeast. The ejecta has accumulated in ridges that are traverse to the radial features, particularly in the northeastern section of the floor. In the northern half of the interior, the dark covering of lava
that previously resurfaced the floor is still visible. A system of rille
s named the Rimae Riccioli lies across the interior, and is still visible despite the deposited ejecta. Named after an Italian Jesuit astronomer who was the first person to measure the rate of acceleration of a freely falling body.
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...
located near the western 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...
. It lies just to the northwest of the even larger and more prominent crater Grimaldi
Grimaldi (crater)
Grimaldi is a large basin located near the western limb of the Moon. It lies to the southwest of the Oceanus Procellarum, and southeast of the crater Riccioli...
. To the southwest are the craters Hartwig
Hartwig (lunar crater)
Hartwig is a lunar crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon. It is attached to the eastern rim of the prominent crater Schlüter, to the northeast of the Montes Cordillera mountain range that surrounds the Mare Orientale...
and Schlüter
Schlüter (crater)
Schlüter is a lunar impact crater that is located near the western limb of the Moon's near side. It lies along the northwestern face of the Montes Cordillera mountain range that encircles the Mare Orientale. Nearly attached to the eastern rim is the damaged crater Hartwig.Schlüter has an irregular...
that lie on the northeastern edge of Montes Cordillera, the ring-shaped range that surrounds 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...
. Due to its location, Riccioli appears strongly foreshortened and is viewed almost from the side.
Riccioli has been heavily worn and eroded, most notably by ejecta from the impact that created the Orientale basin. This debris has created radial features towards the northeast. The ejecta has accumulated in ridges that are traverse to the radial features, particularly in the northeastern section of the floor. In the northern half of the interior, the dark covering of 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...
that previously resurfaced the floor is still visible. 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 Riccioli lies across the interior, and is still visible despite the deposited ejecta. Named after an Italian Jesuit astronomer who was the first person to measure the rate of acceleration of a freely falling body.
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 Riccioli.| Riccioli | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 0.6° N | 73.0° W | 31 km |
| CA | 0.6° N | 73.0° W | 14 km |
| F | 8.6° S | 73.9° W | 28 km |
| G | 1.3° S | 71.0° W | 15 km |
| H | 1.1° N | 74.9° W | 18 km |
| K | 2.2° S | 77.5° W | 43 km |
| U | 5.7° S | 72.8° W | 9 km |
| Y | 3.0° S | 73.2° W | 7 km |