Pontécoulant (crater)


Pontécoulant is a prominent lunar impact crater that is located in the southeastern part of the Moon. Due to its position, the crater appears foreshortened from the Earth and it is difficult to observe much detail. Nearby craters include Hanno just to the northeast, and the comparably sized Helmholtz due south.
This crater has d inner wall that is nearly circular, but with an outward extension to the southeast. The rim is somewhat worn but retains much detail. The crater partly overlies the older and smaller Pontécoulant E along the southern rim, and has several tiny craterlets on the eastern inner wall and one to the southwest.
The inner floor is nearly flat, with some rough ground near the southern rim and some low central peaks located southwest of the midpoint. There is a small but prominent crater located at the center of the floor, and several other tiny craterlets scattered across the inner surface.
The eponym of this crater is Philippe Gustave Doulcet, le Comte de Pontécoulant.

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 Pontécoulant.
PontécoulantLatitudeLongitudeDiameter
A57.7° S62.9° E19 km
B57.9° S58.5° E39 km
C55.6° S59.1° E30 km
D60.2° S71.9° E10 km
E60.5° S64.5° E44 km
F57.4° S67.7° E60 km
G57.2° S60.1° E36 km
H58.4° S65.2° E9 km
J61.6° S64.3° E39 km
K61.5° S61.0° E13 km
L59.0° S59.7° E17 km
M60.8° S74.1° E10 km