Plinius (crater)

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File:Mare Tranquillitatis Si - Ferruggia.jpg

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Plinius is a prominent lunar impact crater on the border between Mare Serenitatis to the north and Mare Tranquilitatis to the south. Its diameter is 41 km. The crater is named after the Roman natural scientist and author Pliny the Elder.<ref>Template:Gpn</ref> To the south-southeast of Plinius is the crater Ross, and to the northeast is Dawes. Just to the north is a system of rilles named the Rimae Plinius and touching it is the Brackett crater which is more than a crater diameter north. At the northwest edge of the rille is the Promontorium Archerusia, a cape off the western rim that encloses the Mare Serenitatis.

Plinius 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>

DescriptionEdit

The sharp rim of Plinius is slightly oval in form, with a terraced inner wall and an irregular outer rampart. It lacks a visible ray system. The crater floor is hilly, and in the middle is an irregular central peak that has the appearance of a double crater formation under certain angles of illumination. A cleft feature is attached to the northern side of the peak. The eastern half of the floor is much more smooth and level than the hummocky west, and this section forms a crescent shape about the central peak.

Plinius crater AS15-M-2030.jpg

Apollo 15 image at high sun elevation of 71°
Plinius crater AS17-M-1660.jpg

Oblique view from Apollo 17 facing south, and showing both Plinius crater and Plinius Rilles
Plinius crater as10-31-4599.jpg

Highly oblique view from Apollo 10, facing northwest.
Plinius AS17-P-2329.png

Another oblique view from Apollo 17, facing south, while the crater was near the sunrise terminator.