Kekulé (crater) explained

Coordinates:16.4°N -138.1°W
Diameter:94 km
Depth:Unknown
Colong:139
Eponym:F. A. Kekulé
von Stradonitz

Kekulé is a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies just to the west-southwest of the larger crater Poynting, on the edge of the ejecta skirt surrounding the walled plain Hertzsprung to the southeast.

The outer rim of Kekulé displays some degradation due to impact erosion, but is for the most part intact. The rim is roughly circular, with the greatest wear along the northeast rim. There a small crater lies along the rim edge. The interior floor is relatively level with no central peak, but there are some irregularities in the surface in the northeastern half and along the southern edge. There are a number of tiny craterlets pitting the interior, and a pair of small craterlets along the northern inner wall.

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 Kekulé.

KekuléLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
K13.9° N135.8° W16 km
M12.2° N137.4° W19 km
S15.4° N143.0° W21 km
V18.4° N142.0° W67 km

References

. Patrick Moore . 2001 . On the Moon . . 978-0-304-35469-6 .

. Antonín Rükl . 1990 . Atlas of the Moon . . 978-0-913135-17-4 .

. Thomas William Webb . 1962 . Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes . 6th revised . Dover . 978-0-486-20917-3 .

. Ewen Whitaker . 1999 . Mapping and Naming the Moon . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-62248-6 .