Cleomedes (crater)

Cleomedes is a prominent lunar impact crater located in the northeast part of the visible Moon, to the north of Mare Crisium. It was named after Greek astronomer Cleomedes.^[1] It is surrounded by rough ground with multiple crater impacts. The irregular crater Tralles intrudes into the northwest rim. To the east is Delmotte. North of Cleomedes is a triple-crater formation with Burckhardt occupying the center.

Cleomedes

LRO mosaic
Coordinates	27.7°N 55.5°E / 27.7; 55.5
Diameter	126 km
Depth	2.7 km
Colongitude	304° at sunrise
Eponym	Cleomedes

Oblique Lunar Orbiter 4 image

The outer wall of Cleomedes is heavily worn and eroded, especially along the southern part of the wall. Cleomedes C lies across the south-southwest rim. The crater floor is nearly flat, with a small central peak to the north of the midpoint, forming a linear ridge toward the north-northeast. There are several notable craterlets on the floor, including a pair of overlapping craters just inside the northwest rim.

A rille named Rima Cleomedes crosses the northern floor, running southeast from the northwest rim. This rille branches in a fork after crossing the crater mid-line. Smaller clefts lie in the southeast part of the floor.

Cleomedes is one of the largest craters of Nectarian age.^[2]

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 Cleomedes.

Cleomedes	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	28.9° N	55.0° E	12 km
B	27.2° N	55.9° E	11 km
C	25.7° N	54.9° E	14 km
D	29.3° N	61.9° E	25 km
E	28.6° N	54.4° E	21 km
F	22.6° N	56.9° E	12 km
G	24.0° N	57.3° E	20 km
H	22.4° N	57.6° E	6 km
J	26.9° N	56.8° E	10 km
L	23.8° N	54.4° E	7 km
M	24.2° N	51.6° E	6 km
N	24.8° N	52.5° E	6 km
P	24.8° N	56.4° E	9 km
Q	24.9° N	56.9° E	4 km
R	29.5° N	60.2° E	15 km
S	29.5° N	59.0° E	8 km
T	25.8° N	57.7° E	11 km

References

1. "Cleomedes (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
2. The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 9-4.

• 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.

External links

• High resolution lunar overflight video by Seán Doran, based on LRO data, that passes over Mare Crisium and ends over Cleomedes (see album for more)