Deluc is a
lunar impact crater
An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...
that lies in the southern highlands of the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
. It is located to the south-southeast of the crater
Maginus, and the huge
Clavius. Due east of Deluc is the somewhat larger crater
Lilius. It is 47 kilometers in diameter and 3.3 kilometers deep. It is from the
Pre-Imbrian period, which lasted from 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago.
[''Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition''. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.]
This is a relatively worn formation with the satellite crater Deluc H intruding into the northeast rim. A triangular bulge of material covers the floor from the rim of this intruding crater to near the midpoint of the interior. The small craterlet Deluc T is attached to the southern outer rim of Deluc, and joins it to the small Deluc D to the south.
The remaining rim of Deluc is not quite circular, having a slight outward bulge to the northwest. The interior is worn and smoothed from a history of tiny impacts, although the edge is still well-defined. There is a tiny craterlet in the northeast part of the interior, but most of the remainder of the floor is level and marked only by tiny impacts.
The crater is named for
Jean-André Deluc, an 18th-century
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
geologist and physicist.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Deluc.
References
{{Craters on the Moon: C-F
Impact craters on the Moon