Prinz (crater)

Prinz is the lava-flooded remains of a lunar impact crater on the Oceanus Procellarum. It was named after German-Belgian astronomer Wilhelm Prinz.[1] The formation lies to the southwest of the prominent crater Aristarchus. To the north-northeast is the flooded crater Krieger.

Prinz
Coordinates25.5°N 44.1°W / 25.5; -44.1
Diameter46 km
Colongitude44° at sunrise
EponymWilhelm Prinz
View to southwest of craters Prinz (center top) and Aristarchus (upper right) from Apollo 15.

The rim of Prinz is the most intact in its northeastern half, while a large gap exists in the southern end of the crater wall. The rim climbs to a maximum height of 1.0 km above the base. It is attached along the eastern rim by a low ridge that is part of the foothills of the small Montes Harbinger range to the northeast. The region of the mare about Prinz is marked by rays and secondary craters from Aristarchus.

Rimae Prinz

Just to the north of Prinz is a system of rilles designated the Rimae Prinz. These are sinuous in nature and extend for up to 80 kilometers. The tiny crater Vera is only a couple of kilometers to the north of Prinz's rim, and serves as the origin of one of these rilles. Within the same rille complex is the tiny crater Ivan. The crater Vera was previously identified as Prinz A, and Ivan as Prinz B, before they were assigned names by the IAU.

Crater Longitude Latitude Diameter Name source
Ivan 26.9° N 43.3° W 4 km Russian masculine name
Vera 26.3° N 43.7° W 2 km Latin feminine name

To the northwest is another distinct rille system designated Rimae Aristarchus.

References
  1. "Prinz (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  • 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.
  • 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.
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