Timocharis is a prominent

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 ...

located on the

Mare Imbrium Mare Imbrium (Latin ''imbrium'', the "Sea of Showers" or "Sea of Rains") is a vast lunar mare, lava plain within the Imbrium Basin on the Moon and is one of the larger craters in the Solar System. The Imbrium Basin formed from the collision ...

. It was named after ancient Greek astronomer

Timocharis Timocharis of Alexandria ( or Τιμοχάρης, ''gen.'' Τιμοχάρους; c. 320–260 BC) was a Greek astronomer and philosopher. Likely born in Alexandria, he was a contemporary of Euclid. Work What little is known about Timocharis comes ...

. The closest crater of comparable dimensions is Lambert to the west. The smaller craters Feuillée and

Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

lie to the east of Timocharis. The rim of Timocharis has a somewhat

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

al outline, with an outer

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

that extends over 20 kilometers in all directions. The interior wall is slumped and sharply terraced. The center of the floor is occupied by a craterlet that lies on a slight rise. This impact has almost completely removed the original central peak. The crater may have a minor

ray system In planetary geology, a ray system comprises radial streaks of fine '' ejecta'' thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking somewhat like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays may extend for lengths up to ...

that extends for over . The crater is likely to have been formed in the

Eratosthenian The Eratosthenian period in the lunar geologic timescale runs from 3,200 million years ago to 1,100 million years ago. It is named after the crater Eratosthenes, which displays characteristics typical of craters of this age, including a surface ...

, between 3.2 and 1.1 Billion years ago, as it lacks a prominent ray system, but has not been significantly eroded by impacts.The geologic history of the Moon

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

Professional Paper 1348. By Don E. Wilhelms, John F. McCauley, and Newell J. Trask. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington: 1987. Table 12.2. Timocharis is a potential target for lunar exploration due to its young age, which may give information on the formation of central peak craters elsewhere on the lunar surface. To the north of Timocharis is a tiny crater chain named the Catena Timocharis. THere are also a number of smaller craters in the immediate vicinity - notably Heinrich, Landsteiner, and Pupin.

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 Timocharis. The following craters have been renamed by the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

. * Timocharis A — ''See''

Heinrich (crater) Heinrich is a small lunar impact crater on the Mare Imbrium, a lunar mare in the northwest quadrant of the Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average dis ...

. * Timocharis F — ''See''

Landsteiner (crater) Landsteiner is a tiny, bowl-shaped lunar impact crater in the central Mare Imbrium. It was named after Austrian-American pathologist and Nobel laureate Karl Landsteiner. It is a circular, cup-shaped feature with no appreciable erosion. Nearby to ...

. * Timocharis K — ''See''

Pupin (crater) Pupin is a tiny lunar impact crater located in the eastern part of the Mare Imbrium. It was named after Serbian-American physicist Mihajlo Pupin. It lies to the southeast of the crater Timocharis, and was identified as Timocharis K prior to bei ...

References

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External links

* {{cite web , last = Wood , first = Chuck , date = February 5, 2007 , url = http://www.lpod.org/?m=20070205 , title = Ringed with Almost Nothing Visible , publisher = Lunar Photo of the Day , access-date = 2007-02-05 , url-status = dead , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070210120023/http://www.lpod.org/?m=20070205 , archive-date = February 10, 2007
LTO-40B3 Kovalevskij
— L&PI

topographic map In modern mapping, a topographic map or topographic sheet is a type of map characterized by large- scale detail and quantitative representation of relief features, usually using contour lines (connecting points of equal elevation), but histori ...

of crater and vicinity. Impact craters on the Moon Mare Imbrium