Sklodowska (lunar crater) explained

Coordinates:-18.2°N 95.5°W
Diameter:127 km
Depth:Unknown
Colong:266
Eponym:Maria S. Curie

Sklodowska (Skłodowska) is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies just past the southeastern limb, and can sometimes be viewed from Earth under favorable conditions of libration and illumination. The crater is located to the northeast of the older walled plain Curie, and to the southwest of Pasteur, another walled plain.

This is a prominent crater with a well-defined rim and little appearance of wear from impact erosion. The edge forms a rough circle, but it is irregular with a number of small outward bulges, particularly to the south and southwest. The small crater Sklodowska J intrudes slightly into the southeastern rim.

The inner walls have a system of multiple terraces, and there are some slumped shelves along the northeastern side. The inner wall is somewhat narrower along the north and wider to the south and northeast. Within the crater the interior floor is a nearly level plain that is marked by a number of small craterlets. There is a prominent central peak formation at the crater midpoint, which consists of two ridges separated by a narrow valley. The larger of the two peaks lies to the northeast of the center, while the smaller is to the southwest.

This crater gained its title from the birth name of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, the Polish-born French scientist.

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 Sklodowska.

Sklodowska LatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A14.7° S96.5° E44 km
D13.7° S99.0° E16 km
J19.3° S97.7° E16 km
R18.9° S92.2° E17 km
Y13.2° S95.4° E17 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 .

External links

L&PI topographic maps of crater: