 | |
| Coordinates | 5°54′S 179°24′E / 5.9°S 179.4°E / -5.9; 179.4 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 93 km |
| Depth | 3.0 km |
| Colongitude | 181° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Daedalus |
Daedalus is a prominent crater located near the center of the far side of the Moon. This formation dates to the Early Imbrian epoch of the lunar geologic timescale.[1] The inner wall is terraced, and there is a cluster of central peaks on the relatively flat floor. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the central peaks.[2] The smaller crater Daedalus B is attached to the north northeastern rim.
Because its location is shielded from radio emissions from the Earth, it has been proposed as the site of a future giant radio telescope.[3] This would be scooped out of the crater itself, much like the Arecibo radio telescope, but on a vastly larger scale.
The crater is named after Daedalus of Greek myth.[4] It is pictured in famous photographs taken by the Apollo 11 astronauts. In contemporary sources it was called Crater 308 (this was a temporary IAU designation that preceded the establishment of far-side lunar nomenclature).[5]
Nearby craters of note include Icarus to the east and Racah to the south. Less than a crater diameter to the north-northeast is Lipskiy.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Daedalus.
| Daedalus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 4.1° S | 179.8° W | 23 km |
| C | 4.1° S | 178.9° W | 68 km |
| G | 6.6° S | 177.4° W | 33 km |
| K | 8.3° S | 178.5° W | 24 km |
| M | 8.1° S | 179.5° E | 13 km |
| R | 7.7° S | 175.2° E | 41 km |
| S | 6.8° S | 172.9° E | 20 km |
| U | 4.2° S | 174.9° E | 30 km |
| W | 3.5° S | 177.5° E | 70 km |
On the lunar geologic timescale, Daedalus U is a degraded crater that dates from the Nectarian period.[6]
See also
- 1864 Daedalus, near-Earth asteroid
- Lunar Crater Radio Telescope - proposed radio telescope by NIAC for the far side of the moon
References
- Tompkins, Stefanie; Pieters, Carle M. (January 1999). "Mineralogy of the lunar crust: Results from Clementine". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 34 (1): 25–41. Bibcode:1999M&PS...34...25T. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1999.tb01729.x.
- Donaldson Hanna, K. L.; et al. (July 2014). "Global assessment of pure crystalline plagioclase across the Moon and implications for the evolution of the primary crust". Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. 119 (7): 1516–1545. Bibcode:2014JGRE..119.1516D. doi:10.1002/2013JE004476.
- Graham-Rowe, Duncan (January 3, 2002). "Astronomers plan telescope on Moon". New Scientist. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
- Menzel, D. H.; et al. (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.
- "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)" (2nd ed.). Lunar & Planetary Institute. October 1967. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
- Purohit, Suchit; et al. (October 10, 2018). "Automatic crater classification framework based on shape parameters". Current Science. 115 (7). Current Science Association: 1351–1358. JSTOR 26978409.
Sources
- 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. Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- 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.
- Rükl, Antonín (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. Reprint: 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.