Diophantus is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southwest part of the Mare Imbrium. It forms a pair with the larger Delisle crater to the north. Diophantus has a wide inner wall and a low central rise. To the north of Diophantus is the sinuous rille designated Rima Diophantus, being named after the crater. There is a tiny craterlet near the exterior of the southwest wall.
General characteristics | |
---|---|
Latitude | 27.6° N |
Longitude | 34.3° W |
Diameter | 19 km |
Depth | 3.0 km |
Colongitude | 34° at sunrise |
Eponym | Diophantus |
References | See listing |
Rima Diophantus
This cleft follows a generally east-west path across the Mare Imbrium. It is centered at selenographic coordinates 31.0° N, 32.0° W, and has a maximum diameter of 150 km. Several tiny craters near this rille have been assigned names by the IAU. These are listed in the table below.
Crater | Longitude | Latitude | Diameter | Name source |
---|---|---|---|---|
Isabel | 28.2° N | 34.1° W | 1 km | Spanish feminine name |
Louise | 28.5° N | 34.2° W | 0.8 km | French feminine name |
Samir | 28.5° N | 34.3° W | 2 km | Arabic masculine name |
Walter1 | 28.0° N | 33.8° W | 1 km | German masculine name |
1 Note that the large Walther crater in the southern hemisphere is identified as Walter in some publications.
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 Diophantus crater.
Diophantus | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
B | 29.1° N | 32.5° W | 6 km |
C | 27.3° N | 34.7° W | 5 km |
D | 26.9° N | 36.3° W | 4 km |
The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.
Diophantus A — Artsimovich crater.
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