Plinius (crater)

Plinius (crater)

Lunar Orbiter 4 image
Coordinates
Diameter	43 km
Depth	4.3 km
Colongitude	336° at sunrise
Eponym	Gaius Secundus

Oblique view from Apollo 17 facing south, and showing both Plinius crater and Plinius Rilles

Highly oblique view from Apollo 10, facing northwest.

Plinius is a prominent lunar impact crater on the border between Mare Serenitatis to the north and Mare Tranquilitatis to the south. South-southeast of Plinius is the crater Ross, and to the northeast is Dawes. Just to the north is a system of rilles named the Rimae Plinius. At the northwest edge of the rille is the Promontorium Archeruia, a cape off the western rim that encloses the Mare Serenitatis.

The sharp rim of Plinius is slightly oval in form, with a terraced inner wall, and an irregular outer rampart. It lacks a visible ray system. The crater floor is hilly, and in the middle is an irregular central peak that has the appearance of a double crater formation under certain angles of illumination. There is a cleft feature attached to the northern side of the peak. The eastern half of the floor is much more smooth and level than the hummocky west, and this section forms a crescent shape about the central peak.

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 Plinius.

Plinius	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
A	13.0° N	24.2° E	4 km
B	14.1° N	26.2° E	5 km

External links

• LTO-60B1 Plinius — L&PI topographic map