Fabricius is a lunar impact crater that is located within the northeast part of the walled plain named Janssen. Attached to the north-northwest rim is the slightly larger crater Metius.
The crater is 78 kilometers in diameter and 2,500 meters deep. It dates from the Eratosthenian period of the lunar geologic timescale, 3.2 to 1.1 billion years ago. Fabricius has multiple central peaks that rise to 0.8 km, with a rugged rise to the northwest running north–south. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on these rises. The rim is lumpy and somewhat distended, most noticeably to the southwest and south.
This crater is named after Dutch astronomer David Fabricius (1564-1617). Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1935.
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 Fabricius.
FabriciusLatitudeLongitudeDiameterA44.6° S44.0° E45 kmB43.6° S44.9° E17 kmJ45.8° S45.2° E16 km
References Table 12.2.