Lacus excellentiae
| Lacus excellentiae | ||
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| Lacus Excellentiae as recorded by the Clementine space probe . | ||
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| position | 35.65 ° S , 43.58 ° W | |
| diameter | 198 km | |
| See also Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | ||
Lacus Excellentiae - Latin for lake of excellence - is a solidified lava lake on the moon , which in terms of its origin resembles the larger Maria . The name was established by the International Astronomical Union in 1976.
The small, irregular sea area with indefinite delimitation has a mean diameter of around 200 kilometers and is located in the southwest of the earth-facing moon side at the selenographic coordinates 36 degrees south and 44 degrees west, south on the Mare Humorum . In the southwest it contains the Clausius crater with a diameter of 25 kilometers, the bottom of which was also flooded with lava.
The lunar orbiter SMART-1 hit the Lacus Excellentiae on September 3, 2006 after the mission was completed .