Fontenelle (crater)
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| Crater characteristics | |
 Location of the Fontenelle crater. |
|
| Coordinates | 63.4° N, 18.9° W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 38 km |
| Depth | 1.8 km |
| Colongitude | 19° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Bernard Fontenelle |
Fontenelle is a lunar crater that is located along the northern edge of Mare Frigoris, in the northern part of the Moon. To the northeast is the remnant of the Birmingham crater. Due to its location, this crater appears oval in shape when observed from the Earth because of foreshortening.
The rim of this crater is generally circular, but the edge is irregular and in some locations has a notched appearance. This is particularly true along the southwest and the eastern edges. The rim projects above the surface of the Mare Frigoris, and a wrinkle-ridge runs several crater diameters to the southeast from the edge. The western rim is attached to rough terrain to the west and northwest.
The interior of the Fontenell crater has a wrinkled appearance along the northern rim. There is a low, wide central hill at the mid-point, and some rough ground to the west of this rise. Only a few tiny craterlets mark the surface of the floor.
To the south of Fontenelle on the lunar mare is a tiny crater that is surrounded by a blanket of high albedo material. This crater displays a resemblance to the Linné crater on Mare Serenitatis. This feature lies about 15 kilometers north-northwest of 'Fontenelle G', and lacks a designation.
To the east of this crater is an unusual geometric configuration in the surface with an angular shape. This came to be known as "Mädler's Square", after the lunar selenographer Johann Mädler. It is roughly square in shape, but appears lozenge-shaped due to foreshortening. This feature was noted in many early books concerning the moon.
[edit] 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 Fontenelle crater.
| Fontenelle | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 67.5° N | 16.1° W | 21 km |
| B | 61.9° N | 23.0° W | 14 km |
| C | 64.4° N | 27.2° W | 13 km |
| D | 62.5° N | 23.4° W | 17 km |
| F | 64.4° N | 28.2° W | 11 km |
| G | 59.5° N | 18.3° W | 4 km |
| H | 64.1° N | 20.1° W | 6 km |
| K | 69.6° N | 15.6° W | 7 km |
| L | 66.5° N | 16.6° W | 6 km |
| M | 63.1° N | 28.8° W | 9 km |
| N | 64.0° N | 29.7° W | 8 km |
| P | 64.1° N | 17.2° W | 6 km |
| R | 64.3° N | 18.8° W | 6 km |
| S | 65.3° N | 26.7° W | 7 km |
| T | 66.3° N | 25.7° W | 7 km |
| X | 60.5° N | 27.8° W | 7 km |
[edit] References
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). Lunar Nomenclature. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
- Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by The Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews 12: 136.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521335000.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 6th revision, Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1852331933.
