Riccioli (crater)

lunar crater data
latitude=3.0
N_or_S=S
longitude=74.3
E_or_W=W
diameter=146 km
depth=2.3 km
colong=75
eponym=Giovanni B. Riccioli

Riccioli is a large lunar impact crater located near the western limb of the Moon. It lies just to the northwest of the even larger and more prominent Grimaldi crater. To the southwest are the Hartwig and Schlüter craters that lie on the northeast edge of Montes Cordillera, the ring-shaped range that surrounds Mare Orientale. Due to its location, the Riccioli crater appears strongly foreshortened and is viewed almost from the side.

The Riccioli crater has been heavily worn and eroded, most notably by "ejecta" from the impact that created the Orientale basin. This debris has created radial features toward the northeast. The "ejecta" has accumulated in ridges that are traverse to the radial features, particularly in the northeast section of the floor. In the northern half of the interior, the dark covering of lava that previously resurfaced the floor is still visible. A system of rilles named the "Rimae Riccioli" lies across the interior, and is still visible despite the deposited "ejecta".

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 Riccioli crater.

References