Proclus (crater)


Proclus is a young lunar impact crater located to the west of the Mare Crisium, on the east shore of the Palus Somni. Its diameter is 27 km. It was named after 5th century Greek mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Proclus. It lies to the south of the prominent, terraced crater Macrobius, and west-northwest of the lava-flooded Yerkes.

Description

The rim of Proclus is distinctly polygonal in shape, having the shape of a pentagon, and does not rise very far above the surrounding terrain. It has a high albedo, being second only to Aristarchus in brightness. The interior wall displays some slumping, and the floor is uneven with a few small rises from slump blocks.
The crater has a notable ray system that extends for a distance of over 600 kilometers. The rays display an asymmetry of form, with the most prominent being rays to the northwest, north-northeast, and northeast. There is an arc with no ejecta to the southwest. These features suggest an impact at a low angle. The rays indicate the crater is part of the Copernican System.
A candidate landing site for the Apollo program was located about 100 km north-northeast of Proclus. The site was rejected in favor of the geologically diverse Taurus-Littrow valley for the Apollo 17 mission.

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 Proclus.
ProclusLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A13.4° N42.3° E15 km
C12.9° N43.6° E10 km
D17.5° N41.0° E13 km
E16.6° N40.9° E12 km
G12.7° N42.7° E33 km
J17.1° N44.0° E6 km
K16.5° N46.2° E16 km
L17.1° N46.4° E9 km
M16.4° N45.2° E8 km
P15.3° N48.7° E30 km
R15.8° N45.5° E28 km
S15.7° N47.9° E18 km
T15.4° N46.7° E21 km
U15.2° N48.0° E13 km
V14.8° N48.3° E19 km
W17.5° N46.2° E7 km
X17.7° N45.1° E6 km
Y17.5° N44.9° E8 km
Z17.9° N44.7° E6 km

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.