Arago (lunar crater)

Arago
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image
Coordinates6°09′N 21°26′E / 6.15°N 21.43°E / 6.15; 21.43
Diameter25.51 km
Depth1.8 km
Colongitude358° at sunrise
EponymFrançois Arago
The crater(to the right) area in a Selenochromatic format Image (Si)
Oblique view from Apollo 10. Most of lunar dome Arago Alpha is visible along top edge of photo, right of center.
Oblique view from Apollo 15

Arago is a lunar impact crater located in the western part of the Mare Tranquillitatis. It was named after French astronomer François Arago in 1935.[1] Its diameter is 26 km.[1] To the southwest lies the crater Manners, and beyond are Dionysius and the Ritter–Sabine crater pair. To the southeast is the large Lamont formation that has been submerged by the mare.

The rim of Arago has a bulge in the western wall. There is a central ridge that runs towards the northern wall. The surface of the mare nearby is marked by wrinkle ridges, most notably to the east and southeast. To the north is a large lunar dome designated Arago Alpha (α). A similar-sized lunar dome is located an equal distance to the west, designated Arago Beta (β).

Arago is a crater of Eratosthenian age.[2]

  1. ^ a b "Arago (lunar crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  2. ^ The geologic history of the Moon. USGS Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 12.2.