| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4.3° S, 22.6° E |
| Diameter | 41 × 28 km |
| Depth | 1.4 km |
| Colongitude | 338° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Hypatia of Alexandria |
Hypatia is a lunar crater that lies along the northwest edge of Sinus Asperitatis, a bay on the southwest edge of Mare Tranquillitatis. The nearest crater with an eponym is Alfraganus to the west-wouthwest. However, further to the south-southeast, across the lunar mare, is the prominent Theophilus crater. This is an asymmetrical formation with a rugged, irregular outer rim that is cut through by narrow clefts in several locations. It is generally longer along an axis running to the north-northwest, with the widest outward bulge occurring on the west side at the northern end. It resembles a merger of several crater formations that have gained a common interior floor. Attached to the exterior rim along the southwest is satellite crater 'Hypatia A', a more symmetrical, bowl-shaped crater.
About 70 kilometers to the north of Hypatia crater is a system of linear rilles designated Rimae Hypatia. This runs for a length of about 180 kilometers across the Mare Tranquillitatis, and generally follows a course to the south-southeast.
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 Hypatia crater.
| Hypatia | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4.9° S | 22.2° E | 16 km |
| B | 4.6° S | 21.3° E | 5 km |
| C | 0.9° S | 20.8° E | 15 km |
| D | 3.1° S | 22.7° E | 6 km |
| E | 0.3° S | 20.4° E | 6 km |
| F | 4.1° S | 21.5° E | 8 km |
| G | 2.7° S | 23.0° E | 5 km |
| H | 4.5° S | 24.1° E | 5 km |
| M | 5.3° S | 23.4° E | 28 km |
| R | 1.9° S | 21.2° E | 4 km |
References
- Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
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- McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). Lunar Nomenclature. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved on 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: 136.
- Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4.
- Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon observer's handbook. Cambridge University Press.
- Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 6th revision, Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2.
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4.
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 1852331933.
