Xenophanes (crater)
Encyclopedia
Xenophanes is a lunar
crater
that is located along the northwestern limb of the Moon
. It is nearly attached to Volta
, a similar formation to the south-southwest. To the northeast is the smaller crater Cleostratus
. Xenophanes is significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth
, hindering observation.
It is a worn and eroded crater with a battered outer rim that is overlaid by several smaller craters. The rim is a circular range of rugged, irregular ground that is notched in places along the inner wall. A chain of small craters lies along the northern and northeastern rim. At the west end, a pair of clefts in the rim nearly join the floor to the surface beyond. To the northeast, Xenophanes A is an impact crater with a sharp rim and a rough interior.
The interior surface is irregular, but sections have been resurfaced by basalt
ic lava
. A pair of flooded crater rims lie along the southern and northeast sections of the interior. The interior is more level and less rough at the eastern end.
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 along the northwestern 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 is nearly attached to Volta
Volta (crater)
Volta is a lunar crater near the northwest limb of the Moon. It is located south-southeast of the crater Xenophanes, and due north of the smaller Galvani. The crater Regnault lies across the western rim of Volta. Attached to the southwest rim of Volta and the southern rim of Regnault is Stokes...
, a similar formation to the south-southwest. To the northeast is the smaller crater Cleostratus
Cleostratus (crater)
Cleostratus is a lunar crater near the northwest limb of the Moon. It lies to the northeast of the crater Xenophanes, and west-southwest of the prominent Pythagoras...
. Xenophanes is significantly foreshortened when 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...
, hindering observation.
It is a worn and eroded crater with a battered outer rim that is overlaid by several smaller craters. The rim is a circular range of rugged, irregular ground that is notched in places along the inner wall. A chain of small craters lies along the northern and northeastern rim. At the west end, a pair of clefts in the rim nearly join the floor to the surface beyond. To the northeast, Xenophanes A is an impact crater with a sharp rim and a rough interior.
The interior surface is irregular, but sections have been resurfaced by basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic 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...
. A pair of flooded crater rims lie along the southern and northeast sections of the interior. The interior is more level and less rough at the eastern end.
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 Xenophanes.| Xenophanes | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 60.1° N | 84.8° W | 42 km |
| B | 59.4° N | 80.5° W | 15 km |
| C | 59.6° N | 78.7° W | 8 km |
| D | 58.6° N | 77.4° W | 12 km |
| E | 58.1° N | 85.8° W | 12 km |
| F | 56.7° N | 73.2° W | 24 km |
| G | 56.9° N | 75.7° W | 7 km |
| K | 58.7° N | 84.5° W | 13 km |
| L | 54.8° N | 78.6° W | 21 km |
| M | 54.8° N | 79.6° W | 9 km |