Vesalius is a
lunarimpact crater that lies on the
far side of the
Moon, less than 100 kilometers south of the lunar equator. It was named after Flemish anatomist and physician
Andreas Vesalius.[1] Just to the northwest is the slightly smaller crater
Buisson. Farther to the west-southwest lies the prominent crater
Einthoven.
The outer rim of Vesalius is generally circular but somewhat irregular. There is an outward bulge at the southern extremity and a low rim at the northern end. The inner wall displays some slight
terracing. On the interior floor the central peak is offset to the north, suggesting that the crater was formed by a low-angle impact.
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 Vesalius. The name Eskola was proposed for Vesalius M crater, and it is shown as such in some publications,[2] but the name was not approved by the IAU.
^"Vesalius (crater)". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
^Apollo 17 Preliminary Science Report (NASA Special Publication 330). Scientific and Technical Information Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C. 1973. Figure 28-8.
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.