page_title: Proclus (crater)
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Proclus (crater) / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Oblique view of part of part of Proclus, on the moon. This is Figure 147 of Apollo Over the Moon (NASA SP-362, 1978), which has the following caption: This oblique view looks south over the 26-km-diameter crater Proclus in the highlands at the western edge of Mare Crisium. Proclus is a young rayed crater that is distinctive because of the marked asymmetry of its ray system-a characteristic visible even in Earth-based telescopic views. The excluded zone is along the southwest edge (top of photograph) but is visible in this moderate Sun photo only as a slight albedo change. Laboratory experiments suggest that a low trajectory angle might account for the asymmetry. A number of large blocks can be seen at the edge of the crater rim. The exceptionally large block (arrow) is about 200 m wide and, judging from the length of the shadow it casts, nearly as high. As in several other craters shown in this chapter, a darker layer is present in the upper part of the crater wall.-J.W.H.
context_page_description: 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. 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.
context_section_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 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.
caption: Oblique view of Proclus from Apollo 17, showing interior detail. The arrow points to a boulder that is about 200 m across.
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