Dante (crater)

Dante
	LRO image
Coordinates	25°30′N 180°00′E / 25.5°N 180.0°E
Diameter	53.83 km (33.45 mi)
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	181° at sunrise
Eponym	Dante Alighieri

Dante is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon.^[2] It lies within the Freundlich-Sharonov Basin, in the northern hemisphere exactly opposite the prime meridian facing the Earth. The nearest craters of note are Larmor to the north and Morse to the southeast. To the southwest is the oddly shaped Buys-Ballot.^[3]

The Dante crater is overlain by part of the ray system radiating from Larmor Q to the northwest. The rim is circular but somewhat eroded. A fresh crater, Dante G, is attached to the exterior along the east-southeastern rim. The interior floor of this crater is uneven and marked by several small impacts. There is a central peak formation.^[4]^: 50

This crater is named after Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265–1321).^[5] Its designation was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1970.^[1]

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 Dante.^[6]

Dante^[4]^: 296	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
C	28.3° N	177.1° W	54 km
E	26.7° N	177.0° W	43 km
G	24.9° N	178.6° W	24 km
P	23.6° N	179.4° E	27 km
S	24.9° N	177.3° E	17 km
T	25.8° N	176.6° E	20 km
Y	27.1° N	179.5° E	27 km

References

1 2 "Dante". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
↑ Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.
↑ Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
↑ Menzel, D. H.; et al. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

Sources

Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.

[GPN-1] 1 2 "Dante". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program. Retrieved 2026-07-24.

[Moore_2000-2] Moore, Patrick (2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-4200-3344-1.

[Byrne_2008-3] Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.

[Bussey_Spudis_2004-4] 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.

[Menzel_et_al_1971-5] Menzel, D. H.; et al. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.

[Grego_2015-6] Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

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v t e Dante Alighieri
Works in Latin	De vulgari eloquentia De Monarchia Eclogues Epistle to Cangrande (disputed)
Works in Italian	La Vita Nuova Le Rime Convivio
Divine Comedy	Inferno Purgatorio Paradiso Cultural references
Books, articles, concepts	Contrapasso Dante Encyclopedia Enciclopedia Dantesca
People in Dante's life	Alighiero di Bellincione (father) Jacopo Alighieri (son) Guido Cavalcanti Forese Donati Gemma Donati (wife) Brunetto Latini Beatrice Portinari
Papal commentaries	Cando lucis aeternae
Dante in popular culture	Dante crater Dante asteroid 83 Beatrix Dante Alighieri Academy Scuola Italiana Dante Alighieri Dante Park, New York Dante Park, Montreal Monument to Dante The Barque of Dante (1822 painting) Dante in Hell (1835 painting) Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta Appraised by Dante and Virgil (1835 painting) Dante and Virgil (1850 painting) The Barque of Dante (1858 painting) Dante's Dream (1871 painting) Dante and Beatrice (1883 painting) Beatrice (1919 film) Dante Alighieri (1921 sculpture) Dante Symphony Italian battleship Dante Alighieri Devil May Cry Dante's Inferno (video game)
Related	Tomb of Dante Dante Society of America