Worn ridges near the Moon’s north-northwest limb

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

72.485° N, 44.9825° W

Diameter

81.12 km

IAU approval

1935/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-2 · Carpenter

Geological Chronicle

Near the Moon’s north-northwest limb, Anaximenes lies west of Philolaus and northeast of Carpenter. Poncelet is northwest, close to the visible edge. Erosion has worn the outer rim into a roughly circular ring of ridges.

The rim is lowest along the northeast, where Anaximenes partly overlaps the equally worn satellite crater Anaximenes G. Along the southeast, low cuts pass through the rim where the crater is attached to an unnamed plain. The interior floor is relatively level compared with typical lunar terrain and pockmarked with tiny craterlets; the most notable are 2 to 3 kilometers in diameter.

The crater takes its name from the Greek astronomer Anaximenes of Miletus. Giovanni Ricciolli introduced the name into lunar nomenclature in 1651; the International Astronomical Union formally adopted the designation in 1935.

Chronology & Exploration

1. Undated Craterlets described

   The tiny craterlets on the interior floor vary in dimensions; the most notable have diameters of 2 to 3 kilometers.

2. 1651 Name introduced

   Giovanni Ricciolli introduced the name Anaximenes into lunar nomenclature.

3. 1935 Designation adopted

   The International Astronomical Union formally adopted the designation Anaximenes.

Scientific Sources & References

• International Astronomical Union Gazetteer — Registry reference for the crater’s identity, coordinates, diameter and name origin.
• Wikipedia: Anaximenes (crater) — Source for the crater’s location, morphology and naming chronology.

Name Origin

Greek astronomer (585-528 B.C.).