Virtanen (crater)
Encyclopedia
Virtanen is a lunar
crater
that is located to the northeast of the larger crater Sharonov
, and to the east of Anderson
. Virtanen lies on the far side of the Moon
, and cannot be viewed directly from the Earth
.
This crater has a nearly circular rim, with a relatively narrow inner wall and a small rise near the interior mid-point. A small crater impact near the eastern rim lies at the focus of a small ray system
that covers much of Virtanen and its surroundings. The rays are wispy in nature and somewhat asymmetrical, with the distribution being much more expansive to the west. At the origin of the rays is a bright patch of higher-albedo
surface.
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 to the northeast of the larger crater Sharonov
Sharonov (lunar crater)
Sharonov is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side. It is located to the southeast of the crater Anderson, and to the southwest of the ray-covered Virtanen. To the south-southeast of Sharonov lies Valier....
, and to the east of Anderson
Anderson (crater)
Anderson is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It is located to the northwest of the crater Sharonov, and the satellite crater Sharanov X is attached to the southeast rim of Anderson. To the northeast is the peculiar formation Buys-Ballot, and to the east-southeast...
. Virtanen lies on the far side 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 cannot be viewed directly 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...
.
This crater has a nearly circular rim, with a relatively narrow inner wall and a small rise near the interior mid-point. A small crater impact near the eastern rim lies at the focus of a small ray system
Ray system
A ray system comprises radial streaks of fine ejecta thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking a bit like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays can extend for lengths up to several times the diameter of their originating crater, and are often accompanied by...
that covers much of Virtanen and its surroundings. The rays are wispy in nature and somewhat asymmetrical, with the distribution being much more expansive to the west. At the origin of the rays is a bright patch of higher-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...
surface.
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 Virtanen.| Virtanen | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 17.8° N | 177.8° E | 24 km |
| C | 17.3° N | 178.2° E | 20 km |
| J | 14.0° N | 177.9° E | 21 km |
| Z | 16.5° N | 176.6° E | 31 km |