Le Monnier is the remnant of a lunarcrater that has been partly innundated by lava flows. It is located on the east edge of Mare Serenitatis, and the west part of the rim is missing so that it now forms a large bay. To the north is the Chacornac crater.
The interior of this formation is relatively flat and smooth, with no significant craterlets to mark the surface. The outer rim is battered, worn, and notched with past impacts. Only slight wrinkle-ridges now mark where the western rim once lay.
The landing site of the Luna 21 space probe is located near the southern rim of Le Monnier. Lunokhod 2, a robotic roving vehicle deposited on the surface by Luna 21, covered a distance of 37 kilometers across the crater floor. It also surveyed the southern edge of the crater rim.
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 Le Monnier crater.
le Monnier
Latitude
Longitude
Diameter
A
26.9° N
32.5° E
21 km
H
25.0° N
29.6° E
6 km
K
27.7° N
30.2° E
4 km
S
26.8° N
33.9° E
40 km
T
25.1° N
31.4° E
18 km
U
26.1° N
33.5° E
25 km
V
26.0° N
34.3° E
23 km
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
LeMonnier was born in Paris, where his father Pierre (1675-1757), also an astronomer, was professor of philosophy at the college d'Harcourt.
The liberality of King Louis XV of France, in whose favour LeMonnier stood high, furnished him with the means of procuring the best instruments, many made in Britain.
LeMonnier was admitted in 1739 to the Royal Society, and was one of the one hundred and forty-four original members of the Institute.
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