Zach (crater)
Encyclopedia
Zach is a lunar impact crater
located in the heavily cratered southern sector of the Moon. To the north is the crater Lilius
, while to the southeast is Pentland
and to the south the larger Curtius
. Due to foreshortening, the crater has an oblong appearance when viewed from Earth
. The crater is 71 kilometers in diameter and 3.7 kilometers deep. It is from the Nectarian
period, 3.92 to 3.85 billion years ago.
The inner walls of the crater are prominently terraced, while parts of the outer wall are indented by lesser craters. There are adjacent craters attached to the northeast, southwest, and southern parts of the rim. There is also a pair of overlapping craters on the northwest rim. The bottom is relatively flat with a few craterlets and a double central peak offset to the north.
The crater is named for Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach, a 19th-century Hungarian astronomer.
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 in the heavily cratered southern sector of the Moon. To the north is the crater Lilius
Lilius (crater)
Lilius is a lunar impact crater that is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon. It lies to the north of the crater Zach, and south-southwest of Cuvier. Just to the southeast is the slightly larger Jacobi...
, while to the southeast is Pentland
Pentland (crater)
Pentland is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southern part of the Moon, and appears foreshortened when viewed from the Earth. About one crater diameter to the southwest is the larger crater Curtius, and to the north-northwest lies Zach....
and to the south the larger Curtius
Curtius (crater)
Curtius is a lunar impact crater that is located in the southern part of the Moon. From the Earth the crater appears foreshortened, making it more difficult to observe detail. Nevertheless this is a large crater that can be readily found in even small telescopes. Curtius is located within one...
. Due to foreshortening, the crater has an oblong appearance when viewed from 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...
. The crater is 71 kilometers in diameter and 3.7 kilometers deep. It is from the Nectarian
Nectarian
The Nectarian Period of the lunar geologic timescale runs from 3920 million years ago to 3850 million years ago. It is the period during which the Nectaris Basin and other major basins were formed by large impact events...
period, 3.92 to 3.85 billion years ago.
The inner walls of the crater are prominently terraced, while parts of the outer wall are indented by lesser craters. There are adjacent craters attached to the northeast, southwest, and southern parts of the rim. There is also a pair of overlapping craters on the northwest rim. The bottom is relatively flat with a few craterlets and a double central peak offset to the north.
The crater is named for Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach, a 19th-century Hungarian astronomer.
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 Zach.| Zach | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 62.5° S | 5.1° E | 36 km |
| B | 58.6° S | 3.0° E | 32 km |
| C | 58.5° S | 1.3° E | 13 km |
| D | 62.1° S | 7.9° E | 32 km |
| E | 59.4° S | 6.3° E | 24 km |
| F | 60.0° S | 3.2° E | 28 km |
| G | 58.4° S | 0.5° E | 6 km |
| H | 59.0° S | 2.9° E | 7 km |
| J | 57.4° S | 4.7° E | 11 km |
| K | 57.4° S | 6.2° E | 9 km |
| L | 58.1° S | 6.9° E | 16 km |
| M | 57.1° S | 7.0° E | 5 km |