| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 60.9° S, 5.3° E |
| Diameter | 71 km |
| Depth | 3.7 km |
| Colongitude | 355° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Franz Xaver, Baron von Zach |
Zach is a lunar impact crater located in the heavily-cratered southern sector of the moon. To the north is Lilius crater, while to the southeast is Pentland and to the south the larger Curtius crater. Due to foreshortening, the crater has an oblong appearance when viewed from Earth. The crater is 71 kilometers in diameter and 3.7 kilometers deep. It is from the Nectarian period, 3.92 to 3.85 billion years ago.[1] The inner walls of the crater are prominently terraced, while parts of the outer wall are indented by lesser craters. There are adjacent craters attached to the northeast, southwest, and southern parts of the rim. There is also a pair of overlapping craters on the northwest rim. The bottom is relatively flat with a few craterlets and a double central peak offset to the north.[2] The crater is named for Franz Xaver, Baron Von Zach, a 19th century Hungarian astronomer.[1]
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 Zach crater.[3]
| Zach | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 62.5° S | 5.1° E | 36 km |
| B | 58.6° S | 3.0° E | 32 km |
| C | 58.5° S | 1.3° E | 13 km |
| D | 62.1° S | 7.9° E | 32 km |
| E | 59.4° S | 6.3° E | 24 km |
| F | 60.0° S | 3.2° E | 28 km |
| G | 58.4° S | 0.5° E | 6 km |
| H | 59.0° S | 2.9° E | 7 km |
| J | 57.4° S | 4.7° E | 11 km |
| K | 57.4° S | 6.2° E | 9 km |
| L | 58.1° S | 6.9° E | 16 km |
| M | 57.1° S | 7.0° E | 5 km |
References
- ^ a b Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.
- ^ Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8.
- ^ Bussey, B.; Spudis, P., (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2.
