Harpalus (crater)

Harpalus
	Lunar Orbiter 4 image ; (triangular mark below right of crater is blemish on original)
Coordinates	52°36′N 43°24′W / 52.6°N 43.4°W
Diameter	39 km
Depth	2.9 km
Colongitude	44° at sunrise
Eponym	Harpalus

Harpalus is a young lunar impact crater that lies on the Mare Frigoris , at the eastern edge of the Sinus Roris . To the southeast at the edge of the mare is the small crater Foucault , and to the northwest on the opposite edge is the walled plain named South .

The rim of Harpalus is sharp-edged with little sign of wear or erosion. The wall is not perfectly circular, and has a few outward notches and protrusions, especially along the eastern half. It is surrounded by an outer rampart of ejecta, most notably towards the north, and is at the center of a small ray system . Due to its rays, Harpalus is mapped as part of the Copernican System . ^[1]

The inner surface is terraced , and flows down to the floor. The interior wall is the least wide along the northern face, making the floor slightly offset in that direction. Near the midpoint is a system of low central ridges.

Popular culture references [ edit ]

Harpalus was the rocket landing site in the 1950s science fiction film Destination Moon . It was chosen by artist Chesley Bonestell as it had a relatively high latitude and the Earth could be realistically displayed at a low altitude during camera shots. However, the resulting clay model depicted crazing (net-like cracks) across the crater floor, an addition to which Bonestell objected.

Satellite craters [ edit ]

By convention, these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Harpalus.

Harpalus	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
B	56.2° N	43.7° W	8 km
C	55.5° N	45.1° W	10 km
E	52.7° N	50.8° W	7 km
G	53.6° N	52.3° W	11 km
H	53.8° N	53.2° W	8 km
S	51.4° N	49.9° W	5 km
T	50.0° N	49.4° W	4 km

References [ edit ]

^ The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E. ; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. Plate 11: Copernican System ( online )

Jalufka, Dona A.; Koeberl, Christian (1999). "Moonstruck: How Realistic Is The Moon Depicted In Classic Science Fiction Films?". Earth, Moon, and Planets . 85?86: 179?200. Bibcode : 2001EM&P...85..179J . doi : 10.1023/A:1017015931543 . S2CID 117031920 .

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 2007-08-05 .
Bussey, B. ; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon . New York: Cambridge University Press . ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4 .
Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature . Tudor Publishers. ISBN 978-0-936389-27-1 .
McDowell, Jonathan (July 15, 2007). "Lunar Nomenclature" . Jonathan's Space Report . Retrieved 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 (2): 136?186. Bibcode : 1971SSRv...12..136M . doi : 10.1007/BF00171763 . S2CID 122125855 .
Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon . Sterling Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-304-35469-6 .
Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon Observer's Handbook . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-33500-3 .
Rukl, Antonin (1990). Atlas of the Moon . Kalmbach Books . ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4 .
Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3 .
Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6 .
Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon . Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1 .

[1] The geologic history of the Moon, 1987, Wilhelms, Don E. ; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J. USGS Professional Paper: 1348. Plate 11: Copernican System ( online )

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