Maclear (crater)
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Maclear is a lavagefüllter lunar crater in the northwestern part of the Sea of Tranquility, a Mare, on the eastern half of the lunar front side. The crater is located southeast of the Ross Crater and southwest of the crater Sosigenes. At some distance to the south- south-east you can see the crater Arago. The satellite crater Maclear A is around 70 km away.
Since Maclear is almost entirely covered by the residues basaltic lava, one sees only a narrow rim which protrudes from the surface of the surrounding Mare. This edge is not perfectly circular, but has a slight outward bulge on its western side. On the other hand, it is eroded relatively uniform and not excessive in its width.
The crater forms the southern end of a lunar groove, which in turn belongs to a system of grooves along the west side of the Sea of Tranquility. The system of grooves in the north is known as Rimae Maclear, while the grooves are referred to in the south- southwest as Rimae Sosigenes. The Rimae Maclear extend over a distance of about 100 kilometers and reach in the north of the crater Al- Bakri on the edge of Mare.
It is named after Sir Thomas Maclear, in whose honor in 1961, the designation by the International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) was performed.