Casatus (crater)
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 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 72°36′S 30°30′W / 72.6°S 30.5°W |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 102.85[1] km |
| Depth | 3.27[2] km |
| Colongitude | 35° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Paolo Casati |
Casatus is a lunar impact crater that is located near the southern limb of the Moon. The north-northeast rim of the crater overlies a portion of the slightly larger crater Klaproth.[3] Along the western rim, Casatus A intrudes somewhat into the interior, producing an inward-bowing rim. To the southeast of Casatus is Newton.
The outer rim of Casatus is old and worn, with many tiny impacts along the rim and inner wall. It reaches heights of 6,500 m along the western side and 5,500 m in the east.[4] The small satellite crater Casatus J lies across the south-southeastern rim. The height of the rim is lower where it divides this crater from Klaproth, forming a rounded ridge.
The interior floor is a nearly level surface marked by several tiny ghost-crater rims projecting above the surface and a pair of clefts in the southern part of the floor. A small, bowl-shaped impact crater, Casatus C,[3] forms a prominent feature in the northern half of the floor. There is no central peak formation at or near the midpoint of the interior.[5]: 137
This feature is named after the Italian Jesuit mathematician Paolo Casati (1617–1707). His name was added to the lunar nomenclature by Giovanni Battista Riccioli in 1651.[6] This designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.[1]
