Protagoras is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Mare Frigoris in the northern part of the Moon. To the north-northwest is the slightly larger crater Archytas, and to the southeast is the prominent Aristoteles.
![]() Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
Coordinates | 56°00′N 7°18′E / 56.0°N 7.3°E |
---|---|
Diameter | 22 km |
Depth | 2.1 km |
Colongitude | 353° at sunrise |
Eponym | Protagoras |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Plato-Aristoteles_Si.jpg/220px-Plato-Aristoteles_Si.jpg)
The rim of Protagoras is circular and rises above the surrounding flat terrain, although the rim dips down along the southwestern edge. The interior floor contains a few light markings but no formations of interest. There is an area of rough terrain just to the east of this crater, but the surroundings are otherwise level with only a few small craters in the vicinity.
The crater is named for the Greek sophist Protagoras of Abdera.
Protagoras is a crater of Lower (Early) Imbrian age.[1]
![Location of the lunar crater Protagoras.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Lunar_crater_Protagoras.png/240px-Lunar_crater_Protagoras.png)
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 Protagoras.
Protagoras | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
B | 56.3° N | 5.7° E | 4 km |
E | 49.5° N | 0.5° E | 6 km |
References
edit- ^ The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 10.2.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.