Simpelius is an impact crater that lies in the southern part of the Moon. It lies to the north-northwest of the somewhat larger crater Schomberger, and east-southeast of the prominent Moretus.
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image with north at top | |
| Coordinates | 73°00′S 15°12′E / 73.0°S 15.2°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 70 km |
| Depth | 3.2 km |
| Colongitude | 349° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Hugh Sempill |
The most distinctive aspect of this crater is the asymmetry of the inner wall, with the side being nearly twice as wide at the southern end as it is to the north. As a result, the level interior floor is offset to the north of the crater interior. The rim and inner wall are less sharply defined than those of Schomberger or Moretus, having been softened and smoothed by impacts. The rim is uneven, with peaks to the north, west, east, and south-southeast, and low sections in between. There are also a number of small crater pits along the inner wall and the interior floor.
India's Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed near the crater at 69.37 degrees south latitude and 32.35 degrees east longitude.
Satellite craters
editBy convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Simpelius.
| Simpelius | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 70.1° S | 16.5° E | 60 km |
| B | 75.2° S | 10.2° E | 50 km |
| C | 72.6° S | 5.9° E | 49 km |
| D | 71.6° S | 8.6° E | 54 km |
| E | 70.1° S | 11.0° E | 45 km |
| F | 68.7° S | 16.8° E | 29 km |
| G | 71.8° S | 23.0° E | 24 km |
| H | 68.0° S | 15.5° E | 29 km |
| J | 76.1° S | 8.4° E | 17 km |
| K | 74.8° S | 15.7° E | 23 km |
| L | 70.4° S | 6.7° E | 16 km |
| M | 70.4° S | 16.4° E | 7 km |
| N | 71.3° S | 24.3° E | 8 km |
| P | 75.5° S | 5.0° E | 8 km |
References
edit- 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.
- 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.
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- 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.
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- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.