Oken (crater) explained

Coordinates:-43.7°N 75.9°W
Diameter:72 km
Depth:Unknown
Colong:286
Eponym:Lorenz Oken

Oken is a lunar impact crater near the southeastern limb of the Moon. It is normally visible from the Earth, but is foreshortened and within the region of the surface that is subject to libration. To the south and east of this feature is the broad, uneven Mare Australe, which extends to the far side of the Moon.

The interior of this crater has become flooded by basaltic lava, producing a nearly level, featureless surface with a low albedo. A number of tiny craterlets mark this surface, particularly in the northwest. The surrounding mountain ring has been eroded by impacts, and is somewhat distorted from a true circular shape. There is a wide bulge in the rim toward the southeast, where the surface is lower and more rugged. Slight bulges also exist to the southwest and northwest. The rim is marked by a number of tiny impacts along the edge, particularly to the southwest.

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 Oken.

Oken LatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A43.2° S71.3° E36 km
E46.1° S78.9° E12 km
F44.4° S71.5° E21 km
L43.1° S78.2° E10 km
M41.8° S75.4° E7 km
N42.4° S74.5° E40 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 .