Anaxagoras (crater)

lunar crater data


caption=Location of the lunar crater Anaxagoras.
latitude=73.4
N_or_S=N
longitude=10.1
E_or_W=W
diameter=51 km
depth=3.0 km
colong=11
eponym=Anaxagoras

Anaxagoras is a young lunar impact crater that is located near the north pole of the Moon. It lies across the larger and more heavily worn crater Goldschmidt. To the south-southeast is Epigenes, and due south is the worn remains of Birmingham.

Anaxagoras is a relatively recent impact crater that is young enough to still possess a ray system that has not been eroded by space weathering. The rays from the site reach a distance of over 900 kilometers from the rim, reaching Plato to the south.

The crater interior has a relatively high albedo, making it a prominent feature when the Moon is nearly full. (The high latitude of the crater means that the Sun always remains close to the horizon even at maximum elevation less than a day after Full Moon.) The interior walls are steep and possess a system of . The central peak is offset from the crater mid-point, and joins a low range across the crater floor.

atellite 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 Anaxagoras.