Deluc is a lunar impact crater that lies in the southern highlands of the Moon. It is located to the south-southeast of the crater Maginus, and west-northwest of the huge Clavius. Due east of Deluc is the somewhat larger crater Lilius. It is 42.5 kilometers in diameter and 3.3 kilometers deep.
This formation dates from the Pre-Nectarian period of the lunar geologic timescale, which lasted from 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago. This is a relatively worn formation with the satellite crater Deluc H intruding into the northeast rim. A triangular bulge of material covers the floor from the rim of this intruding crater to near the midpoint of the interior. The small craterlet Deluc T is attached to the southern outer rim of Deluc, and joins it to the small Deluc D to the south.
The remaining rim of Deluc is not quite circular, having a slight outward bulge to the northwest. The interior is worn and smoothed from a history of tiny impacts, although the edge is still well-defined. There is a tiny craterlet in the east part of the interior, but most of the remainder of the floor is level and marked only by tiny impacts.
The crater is named for Swiss geologist and physicist Jean-André Deluc (1727-1817). His name was included in the lunar nomenclature of Johann H. von Mädler in the 1870s. Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.
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 Deluc.
DelucLatitudeLongitudeDiameterA54.1° S0.4° W56 kmB52.0° S0.5° E38 kmC51.4° S0.9° E28 kmD56.4° S2.4° W27 kmE60.3° S4.3° W12 kmF60.0° S3.1° W38 kmG61.6° S0.7° E27 kmH54.2° S2.1° W26 kmJ53.3° S4.1° W33 kmL60.8° S6.2° E8 kmM54.9° S6.2° W19 kmN60.6° S0.5° E10 kmO62.7° S4.4° W7 kmP58.9° S4.8° W7 kmQ59.0° S3.5° W5 kmR55.4° S0.6° E22 kmS61.9° S0.2° E6 kmT55.8° S3.1° W10 kmU59.0° S2.9° W5 kmV61.8° S1.7° E9 kmW61.6° S1.8° W6 km
References
Autostar Suite Astronomer Edition. CD-ROM. Meade, April 2006.