Pons is a
lunar
Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon".
Lunar may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games
* "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta
* "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...
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 is located to the west of the prominent
Rupes Altai scarp. It was named after French astronomer
Jean-Louis Pons
Jean-Louis Pons (24 December 176114 October 1831) was a French astronomer. Despite humble beginnings and being self-taught, he went on to become the greatest visual comet discoverer of all time: between 1801 and 1827 Pons discovered thirty-seven ...
.
It lies to the southeast of the crater
Sacrobosco, and southwest of
Polybius
Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...
. To the northwest along the same flank of the formation is the crater
Fermat
Pierre de Fermat (; ; 17 August 1601 – 12 January 1665) was a French mathematician who is given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality. In particular, he is recognized for his d ...
.
The rim of Pons is somewhat elongated in shape, being longer along a northeast–southwest axis than in the perpendicular direction. The outer wall is irregular and notched, particularly at the northeastern end where it is partly overlain by the satellite crater Pons D and multiple smaller formations. The interior is uneven, with low ridges projecting from the north and southeastern rims.
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 Pons.
References
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{{Commons category
Impact craters on the Moon