Rheita is a lunar impact crater located in the southwestern sector of the Moon. It was named after Czech astronomer and optician Anton Maria Schyrleus of Rheita.[1] It lies to the northeast of the crater Metius, and northwest of Young. The southwestern rim overlies the edge of Vallis Rheita, a long lunar valley stretching for over 200 kilometers on a line running northeast to southwest. At its widest the valley is 25 kilometers wide and a kilometer deep.
Coordinates | 37°06′S 47°12′E / 37.1°S 47.2°E / -37.1; 47.2 |
---|---|
Diameter | 70 km |
Depth | 4.3 km |
Colongitude | 314° at sunrise |
Eponym | Anton M. S. of Rheita |
The rim of Rheita remains well-defined with a sharp lip and a terraced inner wall. The rim overlaps a slightly smaller crater to the east, and has a pair of small impact craters in the northern wall. The crater floor is flat and it has a central peak.
Rheita is a crater of Nectarian age.[2]
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Rheita. It has overlapping craters.
Rheita | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
---|---|---|---|
A | 38.0° S | 50.0° E | 11 km |
B | 39.1° S | 52.8° E | 21 km |
C | 35.1° S | 44.2° E | 8 km |
D | 39.1° S | 50.1° E | 6 km |
E | 34.2° S | 49.1° E | 66 x 32 km |
F | 35.4° S | 48.4° E | 14 km |
G | 40.5° S | 54.3° E | 15 km |
H | 39.8° S | 51.7° E | 7 km |
L | 37.7° S | 52.9° E | 10 km |
M | 35.5° S | 50.1° E | 25 km |
N | 35.1° S | 49.5° E | 8 km |
P | 37.9° S | 44.4° E | 11 km |