Diameter 15 km (9 mi) Colongitude 28° at sunrise | Depth 2.9 km (1.8 mi) Eponym Martin van den Hove | |
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Hortensius is a small, bowl-shaped lunar impact crater that is located in the northern part of the Mare Insularum. It lies some distance to the west-southwest of the prominent crater Copernicus. Hortensius is circular and cup-shaped, with a small floor at the midpoint of the sloping interior walls. The interior has a higher albedo than the surrounding lunar mare, despite traces of ray material from Copernicus.
To the north of this feature is a collection of six lunar domes, many having a tiny craterlet at the summit. These are shield volcanoes that were formed by a highly viscous type of lava. The domes are generally circular in form, with a diameter of 6–8 kilometers (4–5 mi), and rising as high as 400 meters (1300 ft). They are formed of the same material as the surrounding mare, although from a different process.
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 Hortensius.