Da Vinci (lunar crater)

This article is about the crater on the Moon. For the Martian crater, see Da Vinci (Martian crater).

Da Vinci

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	9.1°N 45.0°E / 9.1; 45.0
Diameter	38 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	316° at sunrise
Eponym	Leonardo da Vinci

Apollo 15 mapping camera image at high sun angle showing differences in albedo rather than topography

da Vinci is a lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon, to the northwest of Mare Fecunditatis. It lies along the eastern shore of the Sinus Concordiae, a bay along the eastern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis. Nearby craters include Watts to the southeast and Lawrence to the southwest, both smaller in dimension than da Vinci.

This formation has been heavily damaged and reshaped until it is scarcely recognizable as a crater. Sections of the low eastern rim and a portion to the northwest are still somewhat intact, although they more closely resemble curved ridges than a crater wall. There are gaps in the rim to the south and north, and the interior is irregular with portions having been resurfaced.

The terrain along the northern and western exterior of the crater is irregular and hilly. A low ridge to the southeast runs to the vicinity of Watts.

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 da Vinci.

da Vinci	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	9.7° N	44.2° E	18 km

See also

• 3000 Leonardo (asteroid named for Leonardo da Vinci)

References

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
• Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
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• McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
• Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
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• Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
• Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.
• Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.
• Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.