Ibn Battuta (crater)

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Ibn Battuta is a small lunar crater on the Mare Fecunditatis, a lunar mare in the eastern part of the Moon's near side. It lies to the southwest of the Lindbergh crater, and northeast of the prominent Goclenius crater.

The mare to the south and west of Ibn Battuta contains a number of ghost-crater formations, consisting of crater rims that have been submerged by lava flows and now form ring-shaped projections in the surface. These are best observed under conditions of oblique lighting, when the terminator still lies on or near the Mare Fecunditatis.

The crater is circular and symmetrical, with a wide interior floor. The sloping inner walls have a slightly higher albedo than the surrounding mare, but the interior floor is the same dark shade as the exterior of the crater. There is a tiny craterlet on the floor near the western rim, but otherwise no significant markings.

This crater was formerly designated 'Goclenius A' before being given its current name by the IAU. It is named after the traveller and writer Ibn Battuta.

References

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Last updated on Tuesday August 14, 2007 at 13:41:17 PDT (GMT -0700)
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