Vega is an eroded lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon. It lies on the near side and so can be viewed from the Earth. Less than one crater diameter to the east-southeast is the slightly smaller Peirescius. About one and a half crater diameters to the west is the long Vallis Rheita.
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 45°24′S 63°24′E / 45.4°S 63.4°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 76 km |
| Depth | 2.9 km |
| Colongitude | 298° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Georg F. Von Vega |
This crater has been worn and eroded by a history of impacts. Vega B overlies the southern part of the southern floor and inner wall. The east-northeastern section of the rim is overlain by a merged pair of small craters. A cluster of small craters lies along the northwestern rim. The remainder of the outer rim is round-shouldered and marked by many tiny impacts. The southern part interior floor is partly overlaid by the outer rampart of Vega B. The remainder of the floor is relatively featureless except for a few tiny craters.
This feature is named after the Slovenian mathematician Jurij Vega (Georg Freiherr von Vega in German).
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 Vega.
| Vega | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 47.2° S | 65.3° E | 12 km |
| B | 46.2° S | 63.5° E | 30 km |
| C | 45.2° S | 64.8° E | 21 km |
| D | 44.7° S | 64.3° E | 25 km |
| G | 44.4° S | 62.4° E | 11 km |
| H | 44.5° S | 60.1° E | 6 km |
| J | 45.6° S | 59.9° E | 19 km |
The estimated age of the crater is 69–70 million years old
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.
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- 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.
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- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
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