Copyright Jérôme Grenier

 

Archimedes

[29,7N, 4,0W]

Age : Imbrien Supérieur

Auteur du Nom : Riccioli (1651)

Archimède (v. 287 - v. 212 av. J.-C.). Mathématicien et physicien grec de Syracuse

Archimedes

 


 (English version, Wikipedia copyright)

Archimedes is a large lunar impact crater on the eastern edges of the Mare Imbrium. To the south of the crater extends the Montes Archimedes mountainous region. On the southeastern rim is the Palus Putredinis flooded plain, containing a system of rilles named the Rimae Archimedes that extend over 150 kilometers. North-northwest of Archimedes stand the Montes Spitzbergen, a string of peaks in the Mare Imbrium.

East of Archimedes is the Autolycus crater, and the stretch of lunar surface between these two formations was the crash-landing site of the Luna 2 landing craft. This was the first robotic craft to reach the surface of the moon, landing September 13, 1959.

To the northwest is the prominent Aristillus crater. The lava plain between Archimedes, Aristillus, and Autolycus forms the Sinus Lunicus bay of Mare Imbrium. A wrinkle ridge leads away from Archimedes toward the north-northwest, crossing this maria.

The diameter of Archimedes is the largest of any crater on the Mare Imbrium. The rim has a significant outer rampart brightened with ejecta and the upper portion of a terraced inner wall, but lacks the ray system associated with younger craters. A triangular promontory extends 30 kilometers from the southeast of the rim.

The interior of the crater lacks a central peak, and is flooded with maria. It is devoid of significant raised features, although there are a few tiny meteor craters near the rim. Scattered wisps of bright ray material lie across the floor, most likely deposited by the impact that created Autolycus crater.

Archimedes mesure 83 Km et 2150 m de profondeur. Le cratère est situé entre la mer des pluies et le marais de la putréfaction (est d’Archimedes) au pied des Apennins. Le fond rempli de lave est parsemé de petits cratères dont les plus gros mesurent 3 km. Des projections de matériaux provenant du cratère Autolycus (au nord-est) marquent le fond de bandes claires orientées Est-ouest. On trouve un promontoire de 30 Km accolé à la muraille sud-est. Au sud du cratère s’étend Archimedes Montes, un Ensemble de montagnes.  Tandis qu’au sud-est on trouve les rainures Archimedes Rimae longues d’environ 150 km.

 

Archimedes