Cuvier (crater)


Cuvier is a lunar impact crater on the southern part of the Moon's near side. It is attached to the east-southeast rim of the unusually shaped formation Heraclitus. To the northeast is the crater Clairaut.
The rim of this crater has been worn and eroded by subsequent impacts, leaving an outer wall that has been rounded and diminished in prominence. There is a small but notable crater pair lying across the northern rim, and two other smaller craters lie along the east and south rims. There are also several small craterlets lying across the rim to the north-northwest. Where the rim is shared with Heraclitus, there is a slight inward bulge to the wall, producing a short section where the rim appears slightly flatter.
The interior floor is level and nearly featureless, and much of the floor appears to have been resurfaced. This surface does not possess the low albedo characteristic of the lunar mare, and it matches the hue of the surrounding terrain. Instead, the floor is marked by faint traces of ray material from elsewhere.

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 Cuvier.
CuvierLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A52.4° S12.0° E18 km
B51.7° S13.8° E17 km
C49.9° S11.7° E9 km
D51.3° S7.8° E17 km
E52.3° S12.9° E19 km
F52.2° S11.2° E16 km
G50.8° S7.5° E8 km
H48.6° S8.5° E10 km
J49.3° S8.8° E6 km
K52.2° S10.0° E8 km
L48.9° S9.8° E13 km
M53.3° S10.9° E6 km
N53.4° S12.1° E4 km
O51.6° S12.1° E10 km
P50.0° S12.7° E11 km
Q51.6° S10.6° E13 km
R51.0° S13.1° E7 km