Home | Gallery of astronomical pictures | Moon | Piccolomini_17062014_022228-UT
(Freely adapted from Wikipedia)
Piccolomini is a prominent lunar impact crater (dia. 88 Km, dept. 4.5 Km) located in the southeastern sector of the Moon. The crater Rothmann lies to the west-southwest, and to the south is Stiborius. The lengthy Rupes Altai begins at the western rim of Piccolomini, curving to the northwest. The crater is named after 16th century Italian Archbishop and astronomer Alessandro Piccolomini.
The crater rim has not been severely worn by crater impacts, and the inner wall possesses wide terraces. These structures have been somewhat smoothed by landslips and erosion, most likely induced by seismic activity. An influx of material has entered across the northern rim, flowing down toward the base. The crater floor is relatively smooth, with only minor hills and impact craters. In the middle is a complex central peak surrounded by lesser mounts. The main peak rises to a height of 2.0 kilometers above the surrounding floor.
Rothmann is an impact crater (dia. 42 Km, dept. 4.2 Km) that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon's near side, about one crater diameter to the southwest of the Rupes Altai scarp.
This is a relatively fresh crater that is not significantly eroded. The outer rim is circular and is not overlaid by craters of note. The inner walls have slumped and formed terraces in places. The interior floor is somewhat irregular, and has a central rise near the midpoint.
Stiborius is a lunar impact crater (dia. 44 Km, dept. 3.7 Km) that lies to the south-southwest of the crater Piccolomini, in the southeastern quadrant of the Moon's near side.
The rim of this crater is well-defined with little appearance of erosion. It is roughly circular in form, but has a prominent outward bulge to the northeast where the side has slumped into the interior. There is a terrace-like shelf along the southeastern and northern inner walls. The interior floor is somewhat irregular, and there is a low central peak at the midpoint that is connected to the northeastern wall by a low ridge.
It is named after Andreas Stöberl, a 15th-century philosopher, theologian, and astronomer.
Not yet rated
