A Ray Crater on the Edge of Mare Serenitatis

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

crater

Coordinates

19.91° N · 29.76° E

Diameter

0.42 km

IAU approval

1976/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-42 · Mare Serenitatis

Geological Chronicle

Stella is a small lunar impact crater measuring 0.42 kilometers across on the eastern side of Mare Serenitatis. It is a fresh crater marked by a prominent bright ray system.

The crater lies southwest of Ching-Te and west of the Taurus-Littrow valley, where Apollo 17 landed in 1972. The International Astronomical Union approved the name in 1976, assigned for a Latin female name.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1972 Apollo 17 Landing

   Apollo 17 lands in the Taurus-Littrow valley east of the crater.

2. 1976 IAU Approval

   The International Astronomical Union approves the name of the crater.

Scientific Sources & References

• Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — IAU nomenclature entry and coordinate registry.
• Wikipedia: Stella (crater) — Feature description and location context.

Name Origin

Latin female name.