Pytheas (crater)

Short description: Crater on the Moon

Pytheas

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
(Streak crossing below crater is blemish on original image)

Diameter| 20 km
Depth| 2.5 km
Colongitude| 21° at sunrise
Pytheas (lower left) and Copernicus (top) from Apollo 17. NASA photo. Oblique view from Apollo 15, facing south Close up of the south wall of Pytheas crater from Apollo 17

Pytheas is a small lunar impact crater located on the southern part of the Mare Imbrium, to the south of the crater Lambert. It was named after ancient Greek navigator and geographer Pytheas of Massalia.[1]

It has a sharply defined rim, a hummocky outer rampart, and an irregular interior due to slumping or fall-back. There is a small crater along the northern outer rampart, and a similar crater about 20 km to the west. The crater possesses a small ray system that extends for a radius of about 50 kilometers. It is surrounded by lunar mare that is dusted with ray material from Copernicus to the south.

## 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 Pytheas.

Pytheas  | Latitude  | Longitude  | Diameter

|
|
|

A  | 20.5° N  | 21.7° W  | 6 km
B  | 17.5° N  | 19.4° W  | 4 km
C  | 18.8° N  | 19.1° W  | 4 km
D  | 21.1° N  | 20.5° W  | 5 km
E  | 18.1° N  | 19.0° W  | 4 km
F  | 16.5° N  | 19.1° W  | 5 km
G  | 21.6° N  | 17.7° W  | 4 km
H  | 20.5° N  | 16.5° W  | 3 km
J  | 21.6° N  | 21.1° W  | 3 km
K  | 19.9° N  | 16.2° W  | 2 km
L  | 18.6° N  | 16.9° W  | 3 km
M  | 19.9° N  | 17.7° W  | 3 km
N  | 22.5° N  | 20.5° W  | 3 km
U  | 21.7° N  | 19.4° W  | 3 km
W  | 21.7° N  | 23.7° W  | 3 km

## References

1. ↑ "Pytheas (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

* Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097. http://planet4589.org/astro/lunar/RP-1097.pdf.
* 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. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780936389271.
* McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. http://host.planet4589.org/astro/lunar/.
* 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. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. Bibcode: 1971SSRv...12..136M.
* Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6. https://archive.org/details/patrickmooreonmo00patr.
* 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. https://archive.org/details/celestialobjects00webb.
* Whitaker, Ewen A. (2003). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-54414-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=aV1i27jDYL8C.
* Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-852-33193-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=TWtLIOlPwS4C.

## External links

* Pytheas at The Moon Wiki
* Oblique Apollo 15 image of Pytheas: AS15-92-12576
* "LTO-40D2 Pytheas". L&PI topographic map. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/mapcatalog/LTO/lto40d2_1/.
* LROC page: Pytheas
* Wood, Chuck (March 2, 2006). "Rays and Pitts". Lunar Photo of the Day. http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060302.
* Wood, Chuck (June 23, 2006). "Mare Layering". Lunar Photo of the Day. http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060623.

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