Pons (crater)

Pons is a lunar impact crater that is located to the west of the prominent Rupes Altai scarp. It was named after French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons. It lies to the southeast of the crater Sacrobosco, and southwest of Polybius. To the northwest along the same flank of the formation is the crater Fermat.

Pons

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	25.3°S 21.5°E / -25.3; 21.5
Diameter	44 × 31 km
Depth	2.3 km
Colongitude	339° at sunrise
Eponym	Jean-Louis Pons

Location of Pons (lower left)

The rim of Pons is somewhat elongated in shape, being longer along a northeast–southwest axis than in the perpendicular direction. The outer wall is irregular and notched, particularly at the northeastern end where it is partly overlain by the satellite crater Pons D and multiple smaller formations. The interior is uneven, with low ridges projecting from the north and southeastern rims.

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 Pons.

Pons	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	27.3° S	20.0° E	12 km
B	28.7° S	20.7° E	13 km
C	27.9° S	22.3° E	18 km
D	25.5° S	22.1° E	15 km
E	25.8° S	23.8° E	18 km
F	23.7° S	21.2° E	12 km
G	28.3° S	21.4° E	6 km
H	26.9° S	22.3° E	10 km
J	24.9° S	22.2° E	5 km
K	27.4° S	22.8° E	7 km
L	27.5° S	20.9° E	8 km
M	27.1° S	24.1° E	11 km
N	26.0° N	23.0° E	6 km
P	25.0° N	23.1° E	5 km

References

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
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• Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
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• Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
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• 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.