![]() Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
Coordinates | 8°06′N38°00′W / 8.1°N 38.0°W /8.1; -38.0 |
---|---|
Diameter | 32 km |
Depth | 2.6 km |
Colongitude | 38° at sunrise |
Eponym | Johannes Kepler |
Kepler is alunarimpact crater that lies between theOceanus Procellarum to the west andMare Insularum in the east. To the southeast is the craterEncke. Kepler is named for the 17th century German astronomer and mathematicianJohannes Kepler.[1]
Kepler is most notable for the prominentray system that covers the surroundingmare. The rays extend for well over 300 kilometers, overlapping the rays from other craters. Kepler has a smallrampart of ejecta surrounding the exterior of its high rim. The outer wall is not quite circular, and possesses a slightlypolygonal form. The interior walls of Kepler are slumped and slightlyterraced, descending to an uneven floor and a minor central rise.
One of the rays fromTycho, when extended across theOceanus Procellarum, intersects this crater. This was a factor in the choice of the crater's name whenGiovanni Riccioli was creating his system oflunar nomenclature, as Kepler used the observations ofTycho Brahe while devising his three laws of planetary motion. On Riccioli's maps, this crater was namedKeplerus, and the surrounding skirt of higheralbedo terrain was namedInsulara Ventorum.
Due to its prominent rays, Kepler is mapped as part of theCopernican System.[2]
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Kepler.
Latitude | Kepler | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
7.2° N | A | 36.1° W | 11 km |
7.8° N | B | 35.3° W | 7 km |
10.0° N | C | 41.8° W | 11 km |
7.4° N | D | 41.9° W | 10 km |
7.4° N | E | 43.9° W | 6 km |
8.3° N | F | 39.0° W | 7 km |
12.2° N | P | 34.0° W | 4 km |
9.0° N | T | 34.6° W | 3 km |