Kao (crater)

Kao

Apollo 17 mapping camera image, Kao at top and Helmert at bottom
Coordinates	6°42′S 87°36′E / 6.7°S 87.6°E / -6.7; 87.6Coordinates: 6°42′S 87°36′E / 6.7°S 87.6°E / -6.7; 87.6
Diameter	34 km
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	273° at sunrise
Eponym	Ping-Tse Kao

Kao is a small lunar crater that is located near the eastern limb of the Moon. It lies near the southern edge of the Mare Smythii, a lunar mare that continues onto the far side of the surface. This crater lies to the east-southeast of the crater Widmannstätten. Less than a crater diameter to the north-northeast is the small crater Tucker.

This crater forms part of a merged pair with Helmert to the south. There is a gap in the sides of the crater where they are joined together, and they share a common floor that has been resurfaced by lava. The outer rim of this crater now forms little more than a shallow ring in the surface, with the rim lowest along the northern side. It is unmarked by impacts of significance. However, there is a small crater along the southeastern edge where the rim joins that of Helmert.