Proclus from Apollo 15. Note the prominent ray system. NASA photo.
Proclus is a young lunarimpact 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.[1]
The Proclus crater area with mineral postprocessing
It lies to the south of the prominent, terraced crater Macrobius, and west-northwest of the lava-flooded Yerkes.
Description
[edit]Proclus from Apollo 11, showing the rays extending into Mare CrisiumOblique view of Proclus from Apollo 17, showing interior detail. The arrow points to a boulder that is about 200 m across.
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.[2]
A candidate landing site for the Apollo program was located about 100 km north-northeast of Proclus.[2][3] The site was rejected in favor of the geologically diverse Taurus-Littrow valley for the Apollo 17 mission.
^"Proclus (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
^ abApollo 15 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-289), Chapter 25, Part J, Preliminary geologic map of the region around the candidate Proclus Apollo landing sitebyDon E. Wilhelms, 1972
^Apollo 15 Preliminary Science Report (NASA SP-289), Chapter 25, Part K, Geologic sketch map of the candidate Proclus Apollo landing site by Baerbel Koesters Lucchitta, 1972
Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID122125855.
