Thales is a small
crater located in the northeast part of the
Moon, just to the west of the larger crater
Strabo. To the southeast is the walled plain
De La Rue. Thales has a sharp, circular rim that has received little erosion. The lunar surface around Thales has a
ray system that extends for over 600 kilometers, and it is consequently mapped as part of the
Copernican System.[1]
. An area to the north-northwest of the crater is free of rays, however, indicating that the crater may have been formed by a low-angle impact from that direction. The inner wall has some
terraces, particularly along the southern side. The sides have a higher
albedo than the typical lunar terrain.
This crater has been noted for
transient lunar phenomena. In 1892,
E. E. Barnard observed a pale haze fill the crater interior, while the surroundings remained clear and sharply visible.
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 Thales.
Thales
Latitude
Longitude
Diameter
A
58.5° N
40.8° E
12 km
E
57.2° N
43.2° E
29 km
F
59.4° N
42.1° E
37 km
G
61.6° N
45.3° E
12 km
H
60.3° N
48.0° E
10 km
W
58.5° N
39.8° E
6 km
References
^The geologic history of the Moon, 1987,
Wilhelms, Don E.; with sections by McCauley, John F.; Trask, Newell J.
USGS Professional Paper: 1348. Plate 11: Copernican System (
online)
Andersson, L. E.;
Whitaker, E. A. (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097.
Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186.
Bibcode:
1971SSRv...12..136M.
doi:
10.1007/BF00171763.
S2CID122125855.