Aratus is a small lunar impact crater located on the highland to the south and east of the rugged Montes Apenninus range. It is a circular, cup-shaped crater formation with a relatively high albedo. To the east is the Mare Serenitatis, and to the southwest is the somewhat larger Conon crater. North-northeast of Aratus crater is the landing site of the Apollo 15 mission, just beyond Mons Hadley Delta.
Associated craters
By convention these features are identified on Lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Aratus crater.
Aratus
Latitude
Longitude
Diameter
B
24.2° N
5.4° E
7 km
C
24.1° N
9.5° E
4 km
Ca
24.5° N
11.2° E
7 km
D
24.3° N
8.6° E
4 km
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
In the 'acvoµeva of Aratus 44 constellations are enumerated, viz.
The inter-relations of the Phoenicians with the early Hellenes were frequent and farreaching, and in the Greek presentation of the legends concerning constellations a distinct Phoenician, and in turn Euphratean, element appears.
Aratus was no astronomer, while Hipparchus was; and from the fact that the latter adopted, with but trifling exceptions, the constellation system portrayed by Aratus, it may be concluded that the system was already familiar in Greek thought.
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