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| Coordinates | 6°43′S 87°49′E / 6.71°S 87.81°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 34.54 km |
| Depth | 0.43 km[1] |
| Colongitude | 273° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Ping-Tse Kao |
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Kao is a small lunar impact crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. It lies near the southern edge of the Mare Smythii, a lunar mare that continues onto the far side of the surface. This crater lies to the east-southeast of the crater Widmannstätten. Less than a crater diameter to the north-northeast is the small crater Tucker.
This crater forms part of a merged pair with Helmert to the south. There is a gap in the sides of the crater where they are joined together, and they share a common floor that has been resurfaced by lava. The outer rim of this crater now forms little more than a shallow ring in the surface, with the rim lowest along the northern side. It is unmarked by impacts of significance. However, there is a small crater along the southeastern edge where the rim joins that of Helmert.
The crater's name was approved by the IAU in 1982.[2] It is named for astronomer Kao Ping-tse.
- ^ LTO-81B3 Widmannstatten, Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap (LTO) Series
- ^ Kao, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN)