Nonius (crater)
Nonius is a lunar impact crater. It is located in the rugged southern highlands on the Moon's near side. It was named after 16th century Portuguese mathematician Pedro Nunes, Latinized as Nonius.[1] The northwestern side and about half the interior floor are overlain by the rim and outer rampart of the walled plain Walther. About half its diameter to the southeast is the smaller crater Kaiser, and slightly farther to the south lies Fernelius.
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 34.8°S 3.8°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 69 km |
| Depth | 3.0 km |
| Colongitude | 357° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Pedro Nunes |
The surviving rim of this crater has been damaged by multiple impacts, including the merged pair of Nonius K and Nonius L across the northern rim. The surviving outline is more hexagonal in shape than round. The interior floor has an uneven surface, with low ridges and a crater-formed gouge in the western half.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Nonius.
| Nonius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 35.4° S | 5.6° E | 10 km |
| B | 35.8° S | 2.0° E | 21 km |
| C | 35.4° S | 1.1° E | 7 km |
| D | 35.5° S | 1.8° E | 6 km |
| F | 35.9° S | 3.8° E | 7 km |
| G | 34.7° S | 5.7° E | 6 km |
| K | 33.7° S | 3.9° E | 18 km |
| L | 33.5° S | 3.5° E | 31 km |
| Q | 35.9° S | 4.2° E | 7 km |
| R | 35.9° S | 3.3° E | 10 km |
| S | 34.8° S | 4.3° E | 4 km |
References
- "Nonius". Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
- Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 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 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.
