Fine Art

Daedalus is a prominent crater located near the center of the far side of the Moon. The inner wall is terraced, and there is a cluster of central peaks on the relatively flat floor. Because of its location (shielded from radio emissions from the Earth), it has been proposed as the site of a future giant radio telescope, which would be scooped out of the crater itself, much like the Arecibo radio telescope, but on a vastly larger scale.

The crater 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).

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 crater.

NASA photographs.

General characteristics
Latitude 5.9° S
Longitude 179.4° E
Diameter 93 km
Depth 3.0 km
Colongitude   181° at sunrise
Eponym Daedalus
References See listing

Satellite 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 Daedalus crater.

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

Links

Lunar Orbiter photographic atlas, Photo Number II-033-M

Moon


"Ancient Greeks on the Moon"

see also: The Solar System

Astronomy Encyclopedia

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