Watts (crater)
Encyclopedia
Watts is a small lunar
crater
that is located at the extreme northern edge of the Mare Fecunditatis
. Just one crater diameter to the northwest is the irregular da Vinci
. Farther to the south is the larger crater Taruntius
.
The rim of this crater is broken in the south and the interior is flooded with lava
. The terrain about the crater has also been resurfaced by past lava flows, leaving on a low rim raised about the nearly level surroundings. The southwest rim is attached to a low rim that connects with da Vinci.
This crater was previously designated Taruntius D before being named by the IAU
.
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 at the extreme northern edge of the Mare Fecunditatis
Mare Fecunditatis
Mare Fecunditatis is a lunar mare which is 840 km in diameter. The Fecuditatis basin formed in the Pre-Nectarian epoch, while the basin material surrounding the mare is of the...
. Just one crater diameter to the northwest is the irregular da Vinci
Da Vinci (lunar crater)
da Vinci is a lunar crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon, to the northwest of Mare Fecunditatis. It lies along the eastern shore of the Sinus Concordiae, a bay along the eastern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis...
. Farther to the south is the larger crater Taruntius
Taruntius (crater)
Taruntius is a lunar crater on the northwestern edge of Mare Fecunditatis. To the northwest is the lava-flooded crater Lawrence, and to the north lie the craters Watts and da Vinci...
.
The rim of this crater is broken in the south and the interior is flooded with 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...
. The terrain about the crater has also been resurfaced by past lava flows, leaving on a low rim raised about the nearly level surroundings. The southwest rim is attached to a low rim that connects with da Vinci.
This crater was previously designated Taruntius D before being named by the IAU
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.