Vega (crater)
Encyclopedia
Vega is an eroded lunar
crater
that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon
. It lies on the near side and so can be viewed from the Earth
. Less than one crater diameter to the east-southeast is the slightly smaller Peirescius
. About one and a half crater diameters to the west is the long Vallis Rheita
.
This crater has been worn and eroded by a history of impacts. Vega B overlies the southern part of the southern floor and inner wall. The east-northeastern section of the rim is overlain by a merged pair of small craters. A cluster of small craters lies along the northwestern rim. The remainder of the outer rim is round-shouldered and marked by many tiny impacts. The southern part interior floor is partly overlaid by the outer rampart of Vega B. The remainder of the floor is relatively featureless except for a few tiny craters.
This feature is named after the Slovenian mathematician
Jurij Vega
(Georg Freiherr von Vega in German
).
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 in the southeastern part 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 on the near side and so can be viewed 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...
. Less than one crater diameter to the east-southeast is the slightly smaller Peirescius
Peirescius (crater)
Peirescius is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon. It is close enough to the limb that it appears significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, even though it is nearly circular in shape. To the west-northwest of Peirescius is the crater Vega, and...
. About one and a half crater diameters to the west is the long Vallis Rheita
Vallis Rheita
Vallis Rheita is a linear valley on the near side of the Moon. It is located in the southeastern quadrant, and is oriented radially to Mare Nectaris. This valley appears to share a common origin with the Vallis Snellius to the northeast, as both are oriented radially with Mare Nectaris.The center...
.
This crater has been worn and eroded by a history of impacts. Vega B overlies the southern part of the southern floor and inner wall. The east-northeastern section of the rim is overlain by a merged pair of small craters. A cluster of small craters lies along the northwestern rim. The remainder of the outer rim is round-shouldered and marked by many tiny impacts. The southern part interior floor is partly overlaid by the outer rampart of Vega B. The remainder of the floor is relatively featureless except for a few tiny craters.
This feature is named after the Slovenian mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
Jurij Vega
Jurij Vega
Baron Jurij Bartolomej Vega was a Slovene mathematician, physicist and artillery officer.-Early life:...
(Georg Freiherr von Vega in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
).
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 Vega.| Vega | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 47.2° S | 65.3° E | 12 km |
| B | 46.2° S | 63.5° E | 30 km |
| C | 45.2° S | 64.8° E | 21 km |
| D | 44.7° S | 64.3° E | 25 km |
| G | 44.4° S | 62.4° E | 11 km |
| H | 44.5° S | 60.1° E | 6 km |
| J | 45.6° S | 59.9° E | 19 km |