science

Proclus (crater)

Proclus (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 Proclus (crater) rather than just read about it. In short: Proclus is a young lunar impact crater located to the west of the Mare Crisium on the east shore of the Palus Somni. Its diameter is 27 km and it was named after 5th century Greek mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Proclus.

Key takeaways

Proclus (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 Proclus (crater) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Proclus (crater) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Proclus is a young lunar impact crater located to the west of the Mare Crisium on the east shore of the Palus Somni. Its diameter is 27 km and it was named after 5th century Greek mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Proclus. It lies to the south of the prominent, terraced crater Macrobius, and west-northwest of the lava-flooded Yerkes.

Description

The rim of Proclus is distinctly polygonal in shape, having the shape of a pentagon, and does not rise very far above the surrounding terrain. It has a high albedo, being second only to Aristarchus in brightness. The interior wall displays some slumping, and the floor is uneven with a few small rises from slump blocks. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on the north wall. The crater has a notable ray system that extends for a distance of over 600 kilometers. The rays display an asymmetry of form, with the most prominent being rays to the northwest, north-northeast, and northeast. There is an arc with no ejecta to the southwest. These features suggest an impact at a low angle. The rays indicate the crater is part of the Copernican System. A candidate landing site for the Apollo program was located about 100 km north-northeast of Proclus. The site was rejected in favor of the geologically diverse Taurus-Littrow valley for the Apollo 17 mission.

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 Proclus.

The following craters have been renamed by the IAU.

Proclus F — See Crile (crater).

References

Sources

External links

LTO-43C3 Proclus, Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap (LTO) Series LTO-61B2 Glaisher, Lunar Topographic Orthophotomap (LTO) Series Oblique closeup of Proclus crater from Apollo 17 (Figure 147 of Apollo Over the Moon: A View from Orbit (online version) (NASA SP-362), 1978) Apollo 17 image AS17-150-23047 using the 70 mm Hasselblad.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Proclus (crater)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Proclus (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 Proclus (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 Proclus (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 Proclus (crater)

In research: Proclus (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 Proclus (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: Proclus (crater) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Impact craters on the Moon, LQ13 quadrangle, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Proclus (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 Proclus (crater) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Proclus (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 Proclus (crater) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Proclus (crater) in simple terms?

Why does Proclus (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 Proclus (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 Proclus (crater).