science

Icarus (crater)

Icarus (crater) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Icarus (crater) rather than just read about it. In short: Icarus is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side. It is located to the west of the huge walled plain named Korolev, and less than two crater diameters to the east of the crater Daedalus.

Key takeaways

Icarus (crater) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Icarus (crater) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Icarus (crater) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Icarus is a lunar impact crater that lies on the Moon's far side. It is located to the west of the huge walled plain named Korolev, and less than two crater diameters to the east of the crater Daedalus. To the south of Icarus is the smaller Amici. This formation dates to the Imbrian period on the lunar geologic timescale. It has a worn rim and a relatively wide inner wall. A small crater lies across the southern rim, and the side bulges outward slightly along the southwestern face. There is a disproportionately tall central peak located near the crater midpoint. This rise is unusual in that it is taller than the outer rim; most peaks are only about half the crater depth. The remainder of the floor is relatively flat in the eastern half and slightly more irregular to the west. Icarus was named by the Apollo 15 crew. Composer Ralph Towner made a tune called Icarus which was released in an album of the Paul Winter consort. One member of the consort was cellist David Darling, whose brother-in-law was astronaut Joseph P. Allen. Allen served as mission scientist while a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 15. He gave the Apollo 15 crew a tape of the Paul Winter consort. the Apollo 15 crew named two moon craters after Ralph Towner's compositions "Ghost Beads" and "Icarus".

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 Icarus.

References

Sources

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Icarus (crater)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Icarus (crater) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Icarus (crater) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Icarus (crater) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Icarus (crater)

In research: Icarus (crater) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Icarus (crater) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Icarus (crater) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Impact craters on the Moon, LQ16 quadrangle, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Icarus (crater) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Icarus (crater) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Icarus (crater) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Icarus (crater) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Icarus (crater) in simple terms?

Why does Icarus (crater) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Icarus (crater)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Icarus (crater).