Atlas (crater)
Lunar impact crater / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Atlas is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located in the northeast part of the Moon, to the southeast of Mare Frigoris. Just to the west is the slightly smaller but still prominent crater Hercules. Northeast of Atlas is the large crater Endymion.
Mosaic of Lunar Orbiter 4 images | |
| Coordinates | 46.7°N 44.4°E / 46.7; 44.4 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 87 km |
| Depth | 2.0 km |
| Colongitude | 316° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Atlas |
The inner wall of Atlas is multiply terraced and the edge slumped, forming a sharp-edged lip. This is a floor-fractured crater with a rough and hilly interior that has a lighter albedo than the surroundings. Floor-fractures are usually created as a result of volcanic modifications.
There are two dark patches along the inner edge of the walls; one along the north edge and another besides the southeast edges. A system of slender clefts named the Rimae Atlas crosses the crater floor, and were created by volcanism. Along the north and northeastern inner sides are a handful of dark-halo craters, most likely due to eruptions. Around the midpoint is a cluster of low central hills arranged in a circular formation.
Atlas is a crater of Upper (Late) Imbrian age.[1]
The name Atlas was formally recognized by the IAU in 1935.[2]