Xenophanes (crater)
Xenophanes is a lunar impact 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.
![]() Oblique Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
Coordinates | 57.5°N 82.0°W |
---|---|
Diameter | 125 km |
Depth | 3.2 km |
Colongitude | 86° at sunrise |
Eponym | Xenophanes |
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 basaltic 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.
![](../I/Xenophanes-lunarcrater.jpg.webp)
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 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 |
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 2007-08-05.
- Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
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- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
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- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.