Protagoras (crater)
Protagoras is a lunar impact crater that is located on the Mare Frigoris in the northern part of the Moon. To the north-northwest is the slightly larger crater Archytas, and to the southeast is the prominent Aristoteles.
 Lunar Orbiter 4 image | |
| Coordinates | 56.0°N 7.3°E |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 22 km |
| Depth | 2.1 km |
| Colongitude | 353° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Protagoras |
The rim of Protagoras is circular and rises above the surrounding flat terrain, although the rim dips down along the southwestern edge. The interior floor contains a few light markings but no formations of interest. There is an area of rough terrain just to the east of this crater, but the surroundings are otherwise level with only a few small craters in the vicinity.
The crater is named for the Greek sophist Protagoras of Abdera.
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 Protagoras.
| Protagoras | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 56.3° N | 5.7° E | 4 km |
| E | 49.5° N | 0.5° E | 6 km |
References
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- Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature". USGS. Retrieved 2007-08-05.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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- Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes (6th revised ed.). Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-20917-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62248-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)