Hercules (crater)

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox Lunar crater

File:Atlas Si - Riccabone Zetta Ferruggia.jpg
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File:Atlas crater Hercules crater AS16-P-5587.jpg
Oblique view of Atlas and Hercules from Apollo 16
File:AtlasHercules Groups.PNG
Atlas (upper right) and Hercules (lower left) Lunar craters
File:Atlas Hercules craters from Earth.JPG
Atlas and Hercules at center, near the terminator as viewed from Earth

Hercules is a prominent crater located in the northeast part of the Moon, to the west of the crater Atlas. It lies along the east edge of a southward extension in the Mare Frigoris. To the west across the mare is Bürg. To the south is the ruined crater Williams.

The interior walls of Hercules have multiple terraces, and there is a small outer rampart. The crater floor has been flooded by lava in the past, and contains several areas of low albedo. The central peak has been buried, leaving only a low hill near the midpoint. The satellite crater Hercules G is located prominently just to the south of the center. The small crater Hercules E lies along the southern rim of Hercules.

Hercules is a crater of Eratosthenian age.<ref>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 12.2.</ref>

The name Hercules was formally recognized by the IAU in 1935.<ref>Template:Gpn</ref>

In the past this crater has been reported as the site of some transient lunar phenomenon.Template:According to whom

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 Hercules.

Hercules Latitude Longitude Diameter
B 47.8° N 36.6° E 9 km
C 42.7° N 35.3° E 9 km
D 44.8° N 39.7° E 8 km
E 45.7° N 38.5° E 9 km
F 50.3° N 41.7° E 14 km
G 46.4° N 39.2° E 14 km
H 51.2° N 40.9° E 7 km
J 44.1° N 36.4° E 8 km
K 44.2° N 36.9° E 7 km

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.

References

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