Rima Ariadaeus 6.4°N, 14.0°E

Together with the Alpine Valley, Rima Ariadaeus is one of the most impressive examples of a linear rille. Based on its width of up to 7 km it is almost always described as a valley or a graben. Rima Ariadaeus is easy to observe with small telescopes.

Rima Ariadaeus is a depression between two parallel fracture zones or faults. The rille runs with a nearly east-west orientation, almost radially to the direction of the centre of the Imbrium Basin. It is about 250 km long and with a depth of 500 m, not particularly deep. After about one third of its course (from the western end) it is interrupted by a mountain ridge (lying almost at a right angle to the rille), which begins to the north of the rille and continues south as far as the crater Tempel. South of the rille and east of the ridge lies the small, circular crater Silberschlag (13 km, 6.2°N, 12.5°E). The name of the rille is derived from the crater Ariadaeus, which lies at the eastern end of Rima Ariadaeus. Here the rille bends slightly towards the south, crosses into the lave of Mare Tranquillitatis and ends at the Rimae Ritter rille system. Large telescopes using webcam techniques reveal a few crater pits on the floor of the rille.

Godin 1.8°N, 10.2°E

Agrippa 4.1°N, 10.5°E

Tempel 3.9°N, 11.9°E

Godin is a prominent crater of about 34 km in diameter, and somewhat irregular in shape. Near Full-Moon phase it shows a ray system. The crater’s floor is roughly fissured and is crossed by a range of mountains with a central peak. When near the terminator, the walls of the crater that are illuminated are highly reflective.