Copernicus is a prominent lunar impact crater located in eastern Oceanus Procellarum. The crater Copernicus is estimated to be about 800 million years old, and typifies craters that formed during the Copernican period in that it has a prominent ray system. Download high resolution version (800x798, 120 KB) A view of Copernicus crater taken from lunar orbit by Apollo 12. ... Apollo 12 was the sixth manned mission in the Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (IPA [ˈnæsə]) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Selenographic coordinates are used to refer to locations on the surface of Earths moon. ... DIAMETER is a computer networking protocol for AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting). ... The depth of any crater in a solid planet or moon - whether it is an impact crater, a volcanic crater, or a subsidence crater - may be measured from the local surface to the bottom of the crater, or from the rim of the crater to the bottom. ... Selenographic coordinates are coordinates that refer to locations on the surface of the Moon. ... An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, who has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, discovery, or other item. ... Copernicus redirects here. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... Tycho crater on Earths moon. ... The Ocean of Storms of the Moon. ... The Copernican Period in the lunar geologic timescale runs from approximately 1100 million years ago to the present day. ... Crater ray system on the far side of the Moon. ...

Characteristics

Copernicus is visible using binoculars, and is located slightly northwest of the center of the Moon's Earth-facing hemisphere. South of the crater is the Mare Insularum, and to the south-south west is Reinhold crater. North of Copernicus are the Montes Carpatus, which lie at the south edge of Mare Imbrium. West of Copernicus is a group of dispersed lunar hills. Due to its relative youth, the crater has remained in a relatively pristine shape since it formed. Porro-prism binoculars with central focusing Binocular telescopes, or binoculars, (also known as field glasses) are two identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. ... Mare Insularum (the sea of islands) is a lunar mare located in the Insularum basin just south of Mare Imbrium. ... Reinhold is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies to the south-southwest of Copernicus crater, on the Mare Insularum. ... Montes Carpatus is a mountain range that forms the southern edge of the Mare Imbrium on the Moon. ... Oblique view of Mare Imbrium looking south towards Copernicus crater. ...

The circular rim has a discernible hexagonal form, with a terraced inner wall and a 30-km wide, sloping rampart that descends nearly a kilometer to the surrounding maria. There are three distinct terraces visible, and arc-shaped landslides due to slumping of the inner wall as the crater debris subsided. A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... The Lunar maria (singular: mare, IPA: //) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earths Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. ... This article is about geological phenomenon. ...

Most likely due to its recent formation, the crater floor has not been flooded by lava. The terrain along the bottom is hilly in the southern half while the north is relatively smooth. The central peaks consist of three isolated mountainous rises climbing as high as 1.2 km above the floor. These peaks are separated from each other by valleys, and they form a rough line along an east-west axis. Infrared observations of these peaks during the 1980s determined that they were primarily composed of the mafic form of Olivine. Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In geology, mafic minerals and rocks are silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks that have relatively high concentrations of the heavier elements. ... The mineral olivine (also called chrysolite and, when gem-quality, peridot) is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula (Mg,Fe)2SiO4. ...

"Picture of the Century" — close-up of Copernicus interior from Lunar Orbiter 2. NASA photo.

Based on high-resolution images from the Lunar Orbiter V, Terry W. Offield of the U.S. Geological Survey described the crater as having, Image File history File links Size of this preview: 443 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (463 × 627 pixels, file size: 322 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Description: This is an oblique view of Copernicus crater taken from Lunar Orbiter 2 in orbit about the Moon. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 443 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (463 × 627 pixels, file size: 322 KB, MIME type: image/gif) Description: This is an oblique view of Copernicus crater taken from Lunar Orbiter 2 in orbit about the Moon. ... The Lunar Orbiter 2 spacecraft was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (IPA [ˈnæsə]) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Lunar Orbiter 5, the last of the Lunar Orbiter series, was designed to take additional Apollo and Surveyor landing site photography and to take broad survey images of unphotographed parts of the Moons far side. ... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ...

The crater rays spread as far as 800 kilometers across the surrounding maria, overlaying rays from the Aristarchus and Kepler craters. The rays are less distinct than the long, linear rays about Tycho crater, instead forming a nebulous pattern with plumy markings. In multiple locations the rays lay at glancing angles, instead of forming a true radial dispersal. An extensive pattern of smaller secondary craters can also be observed surrounding Copernicus, a detail that was depicted in a map by Giovanni Cassini in 1680. Some of these secondary craters form sinuous chains in the ejecta. For other uses, see Fracture (disambiguation). ... Look up lava, Aa, pahoehoe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska photographed from the International Space Station For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Crater ray system on the far side of the Moon. ... Maria is a female given name in many diverse cultures, including African, Bulgarian, Catalan, English, German, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian and Spanish. ... Aristarchus is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the northwest part of the Moons near side. ... Kepler is a young lunar impact crater that lies between the Oceanus Procellarum to the west and Mare Insularum in the east. ... Tycho is a prominent lunar impact crater located in the southern lunar highlands. ... Giovanni Domenico (Jean-Dominique) Cassini Portrait Giovanni Domenico Cassini (June 8, 1625–September 14, 1712) was an Italian astronomer, engineer, and astrologer. ... Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ...

The Copernicus crater was given its name by Giovanni Riccioli, an Italian Jesuit who in conformity with church doctrine publicly opposed the heliocentric system revived by Nicolaus Copernicus. Riccioli is quoted as having "flung Copernicus into the Ocean of Storms" (Oceanus Procellarum); nevertheless in naming one of the most prominent craters on the Moon for the man, he may have indicated his true intent. Later the crater was nick-named "the Monarch of the Moon" by Thomas Gwyn Elger. Giovanni Battista Riccioli (April 17, 1598 – June 25, 1671) was an Italian astronomer. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... In astronomy, heliocentrism is the theory that the Sun is at the center of the Universe and/or the Solar System. ... Copernicus redirects here. ... The Ocean of Storms of the Moon. ... Thomas Gwyn Empy Elger (1838–1897) was a lunar mapper and the first director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association (BAA). ...

In 1966 the crater was photographed from an oblique angle by the Lunar Orbiter 2 as one of 12 "housekeeping" pictures that were taken to advance the roll of film between possible astronaut landing sites being surveyed. At the time this detailed image of the lunar surface was termed by NASA Scientist Martin Swetnick and subsequently quoted by Time magazine as "one of the great pictures of the century." [1] Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... The Lunar Orbiter 2 spacecraft was designed primarily to photograph smooth areas of the lunar surface for selection and verification of safe landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo missions. ...

Satellite 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 Copernicus crater.

References

• Pieters, C. M. (January 1, 1982). "Copernicus crater central peak - Lunar mountain of unique composition". Science 215 (2): 59-61. 
• Cortright, Edgar M. (1968). "A Closer Look at Copernicus", SP-168 Exploring Space with a Camera. NASA Langley Research Center, 116. 
• Wood, Chuck (2006-10-14). Superb Copernicus. Lunar Photo of the Day. Retrieved on 2006-10-16.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ewen A. Whitaker is a British-born astronomer who specialized in studies of the Moon. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ben Bussey is an astronomer. ... Paul D. Spudis is an American geologist and lunar scientist. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Patrick Moore presenting The Sky at Night, October 2005 Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, HonFRS, FRAS (born 4 March 1923), known as Patrick Moore, is an English amateur astronomer who has attained legendary status in British astronomy as a writer and television presenter of the subject and who... Antonín Rükl (born 1932) is an astronomer, cartographer, and author from the Czech Republic. ... The Reverend Thomas William Webb (December 14, 1807 – May 19, 1885) was a British astronomer. ... Ewen A. Whitaker is a British-born astronomer who specialized in studies of the Moon. ...

See also

• List of craters on the Moon
• Lunar geologic timescale

This is a list of the craters on the Moon. ... The lunar geologic timescale (or perhaps more properly the selenologic timescale) divides the history of Earths Moon into six generally recognized geologic periods: Copernician Period : 1100 MY to present Eratosthenian Period : 3200 MY to 1100 MY Upper Imbrian Epoch : 3800 MY to 3200 MY Lower Imbrian Epoch : 3850 MY...

External links

• Images of Copernicus crater at LPI moon atlas