Catharina (crater)

Catharina is an ancient lunar impact crater located in the southern highlands. It was named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria. It lies in a rugged stretch of land between the Rupes Altai scarp to the west and Mare Nectaris in the east. To the west-northwest is the crater Tacitus, and the lava-flooded Beaumont lies to the east along the shore of Mare Nectaris. To the south-southeast is Polybius.

Catharina

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates	18.0°S 23.6°E / -18.0; 23.6
Diameter	100 km
Depth	3.1 km
Colongitude	337° at sunrise
Eponym	Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Location of Catharina (Selenochromatic Image)

With the large craters Cyrillus and Theophilus in the north, Catharina forms a prominent grouping that is framed by the curve of the Rupes Altai. Together they form a notable feature when the Sun is at a low angle to the surface. There is also a distinct difference in the ages of these three craters, with the age increasing significantly from north to south.

The rim of Catharina is heavily worn and irregular, with most of the north wall incised by the worn ring of crater Catharina P. The northeast wall is deeply impacted by several smaller craters. No terracing remains on the inner wall, and the outer rampart has been nearly eroded away. The floor is relatively flat but rugged, with a curved ridge formed by Catharina P, and the remains of a smaller crater near the south wall. Nothing remains of a central peak.

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 Catharina.

Catharina	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	20.2° S	22.3° E	14 km
B	17.0° S	24.3° E	24 km
C	20.3° S	24.4° E	28 km
D	16.8° S	21.4° E	9 km
E	17.1° S	21.3° E	7 km
F	19.5° S	23.1° E	7 km
G	17.4° S	24.9° E	17 km
H	19.2° S	25.4° E	6 km
J	19.4° S	22.2° E	6 km
K	20.0° S	23.9° E	7 km
L	21.0° S	24.3° E	5 km
M	19.2° S	20.7° E	6 km
P	17.2° S	23.3° E	46 km
S	18.8° S	23.3° E	16 km

Popular culture

Within the Sega CD RPG Lunar: The Silver Star (and all subsequent remakes) there is a region called the Katarina Zone, which is named after the Catharina crater.

References

• Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
• Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
• Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1.
• 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.
• Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6.
• Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3.
• 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.

External links

• Catharina at The Moon Wiki