Vitello 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 lies along the southern edge of the small

Mare Humorum Mare Humorum (Latin ''hūmōrum'', the "Sea of Moisture" or "Sea of Humors") is a lunar mare. The impact basin it is located in is across. Geology It was not sampled by the Apollo program, so a precise age has not been determined. However, ...

, in the southwest part 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 ...

's near side. It was named after 13th century Polish theologian and physicist

Vitello Vitello (; ; – 1280/1314) was a Polish friar, theologian, natural philosopher and an important figure in the history of philosophy in Poland. Name Vitello's name varies with some sources. In earlier publications he was quoted as Erazmus Ciol ...

. It lies just to the east of the

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

-flooded crater

Lee Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...

. To the northeast along the edge of the

lunar mare The lunar maria ( ; mare ) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by lava flowing into ancient impact basins. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich composition, and hence appear dark to ...

is the Rupes Kelvin, an irregular fault line.

Description

This crater has a low, roughly circular rim with a sharp edge. The interior floor is irregular, rugged and hilly, with a ring of deep

fractures Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress (mechanics), stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacemen ...

surrounding the central peak. A low ridge projects out from the northwest rim into the mare. Vitello was once believed to be a

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

rather than an impact crater. In ''To A Rocky Moon'', lunar geologist

Don Wilhelms Don Edward Wilhelms (born July 5, 1930) is a former United States Geological Survey geologist who contributed to geologic mapping of the Earth's moon and to the geologic training of the Apollo astronauts. He is the author of ''To a Rocky Moon: A ...

summarized: It "is a Saari-Shorthill

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

hotspot, is fractured, and is blanketed and surrounded by a dark deposit. If there is a caldera on the moon, this ought to be it." However,

Lunar Orbiter 5 Lunar Orbiter 5, the last of the "Lunar Orbiter series", was designed to take additional Project Apollo, Apollo and Surveyor program, Surveyor landing site photography and to take broad survey images of unphotographed parts of the Moon's far sid ...

acquired high-resolution images of the interior and geologists noted that the fractures were filled with boulders which caused the infrared anomaly, and so volcanic heat was not escaping from Vitello. Wilhelms concluded "...if it is a caldera, its activity expired long ago."To a Rocky Moon: A Geologist's History of Lunar Exploration. Don E. Wilhelms, University of Arizona Press (1993).

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 Vitello.

References

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External links

Lunar Orbiter 5 images of Vitello
including high-resolution frames of interior * Includes high-resolution view of the interior of Vitello *{{cite web , title=Pattern of dark deposits , work=Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter , publisher=NASA , date=1 September 2011 , url=http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/396 Includes high-resolution view of the interior of Vitello Impact craters on the Moon