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Firmicus (crater)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 7.3° N, 63.4° E |
| Diameter | 56 km |
| Depth | 1.5 km |
| Colongitude | 297° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Firmicus Maternus |
Firmicus is a lunar crater that lies in the eastern part of the Moon's near side, so that from Earth it appears oval in shape due to foreshortening. It is, however, very nearly circular. The crater is located to the west of the Mare Undarum, and northeast of the similar-sized Apollonius crater. To the north of Firmicus are van Albada and Auzout craters. Attached to its northwest rim is the Lacus Perseverantiae, a miniature lunar mare.
The most notable aspect of Firmicus is the dark, flat floor. It has a similar albedo to the surface of Mare Crisium to the north, making it stand out somewhat from its surroundings. The floor has suffered no significant impacts since it was created, although there are undoubtedly many minor impacts across its surface. The outer rim of Firmicus has undergone some erosion, particularly along the northern rim where it is overlaid by a pair of small craterlets.
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 Firmicus crater.
| Firmicus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6.4° N | 65.1° E | 8 km |
| B | 7.3° N | 65.8° E | 14 km |
| C | 7.7° N | 66.5° E | 13 km |
| D | 5.9° N | 64.4° E | 11 km |
| E | 8.0° N | 63.6° E | 9 km |
| F | 6.5° N | 61.8° E | 9 km |
| G | 6.9° N | 61.9° E | 9 km |
| H | 7.5° N | 60.3° E | 7 km |
| M | 4.1° N | 67.2° E | 42 km |
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General references for lunar craters
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. 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. 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.