Maginus
Location: ·
An ancient 156-km plain that vanishes under high Sun — 'the full moon knows no Maginus', the old saying goes.
Type
Crater
Diameter
156 km
Position
50.0°S 6.0°W
Name approved
1935
Maginus is 156 km across and effectively disappears at full Moon. It has no albedo contrast with its surroundings at all: what makes it visible is relief, so it shows only while the Sun is low enough to cast shadow into it and vanishes entirely under a high Sun.
That is a direct consequence of its age. The rim has been battered level with the surrounding highlands and there is no fresh ejecta left to be brighter than anything else.
Sunrise
Sunset
Sunrise and sunset on Maginus
| Event | Time | Lit |
|---|---|---|
| Computing… | ||
- Sunrise / Sunset: at the feature's centre (IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature).
- Lit: the illuminated fraction of the Moon's disc at that moment.
Named after
Giovanni Antonio Magini, latinised Maginus, Italian astronomer (1555–1617).
Further info
Official record from the IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Maginus
Wikipedia: Maginus (crater)