Chrétien’s low-albedo floor

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

46.11° S · 162.99° E

Diameter

98.63 km

IAU approval

1970/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-119 · Mare Ingenii

Geological Period

Nectarian

Geological Chronicle

Chrétien lies south of Mare Ingenii on the Moon’s far side, between Garavito to the west-southwest and Oresme to the east-northeast. Both neighboring craters are somewhat smaller.

Its interior floor has a low albedo and the same darker hue as Mare Ingenii to the north. The floor dates to the Imbrian epoch and is 0.4 km thick. Chrétien C shares the crater’s straight, narrow northeastern rim and is also covered by the dark basaltic lava.

The outer rim is irregular, with satellite craters intruding into its sides. Chrétien S crosses the southwest rim, and Chrétien W is attached to the northwest rim. A break in the north rim joins a small, irregular plain resurfaced by the same lava flows that covered the interior. At the south end, the inner wall forms a wide, irregular surface, while the damaged rim bulges outward. The crater was named for French mathematician and astronomer Henri Chrétien. The IAU formally adopted the designation in 1970; before then, the crater was known as Crater 427.

Chronology & Exploration

1. Nectarian Crater period

   On the lunar geologic timescale, Chrétien dates to the Nectarian period.

2. Imbrian Interior floor

   The low-albedo floor dates to the Imbrian epoch and has a thickness of 0.4 km.

3. Before 1970 Earlier designation

   Before the IAU adopted the name Chrétien, the crater was known as Crater 427.

4. 1970 Name adopted

   The International Astronomical Union formally adopted the designation Chrétien.

Scientific Sources & References

• International Astronomical Union Gazetteer — Registry metadata for identity, coordinates, diameter and name origin.
• Wikipedia — Chrétien (crater) — English-language source extract.

Name Origin

Henri; French mathematician, astronomer (1870-1956).