thumb|right|[[Enki Catena is a chain of impact craters on Ganymede, caused by a fragmented space body (probably a comet). The picture covers an area about 193 kilometers (120 mi) wide.]]

A crater chain is a line of craters along the surface of an astronomical body. The descriptor term for crater chains is catena , plural catenae (Latin for "chain"), as specified by the International Astronomical Union's rules on planetary nomenclature.

Many examples of such chains are thought to have been formed by the impact of a body that was broken up by tidal forces into a string of smaller objects following roughly the same orbit. An example of such a tidally disrupted body that was observed prior to its impact on Jupiter is Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. During the Voyager observations of the Jupiter system, planetary scientists identified 13 crater chains on Callisto and three on Ganymede (except those formed by secondary craters).

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  • Catena on Callisto
  • Lunar Crater Chains
  • Moon nomenclature catenae