Lyman (crater)
Encyclopedia
Lyman is a lunar
impact crater
that lies in the southern hemisphere
on the far side of the Moon
. It is located to the south of the huge walled plain Poincaré
, and to the northeast of Schrödinger
, another walled plain. To the east-southeast is the larger crater Minnaert
.
The rim of Lyman has not been significantly worn and has a well-defined edge and interior features that have not been eroded through impacts. The perimeter is roughly circular with outward bulges along the southern and eastern edges where slumping has occurred. Around much of the interior edge the unconsolidated material has collapsed, forming a ring-shaped pile around the edge of the interior floor. There are a few terraces along parts of the inner wall.
The interior floor of Lyman is relatively level with a few minor ridges and a small number of tiny craterlets. At the mid-point of the interior floor is a central peak formation. This consists of a main peak with attached foothills to the north and northeast. This formation of ridges occupies a diameter of over 10 kilometers.
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
impact crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
that lies in the southern hemisphere
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
on the far side of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. It is located to the south of the huge walled plain Poincaré
Poincaré (crater)
Poincaré is a large lunar impact basin that lies in the southern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon. Most of the formation has been heavily eroded by subsequent impacts, leaving a battered formation with only rugged remnants of the original outer rim to the west.The eastern half has been...
, and to the northeast of Schrödinger
Schrödinger (crater)
Schrödinger is a huge lunar impact crater of the form traditionally called a walled plain and is named after Erwin Schrödinger. It is located near the south lunar pole on the far side of the Moon, and can only be viewed from orbit. The smaller crater Ganswindt is attached to the southwestern rim of...
, another walled plain. To the east-southeast is the larger crater Minnaert
Minnaert (crater)
Minnaert is a large lunar crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, deep in the southern hemisphere. It is partly overlain along the southeastern side by the larger and younger crater Antoniadi. To the west-northwest lies Lyman....
.
The rim of Lyman has not been significantly worn and has a well-defined edge and interior features that have not been eroded through impacts. The perimeter is roughly circular with outward bulges along the southern and eastern edges where slumping has occurred. Around much of the interior edge the unconsolidated material has collapsed, forming a ring-shaped pile around the edge of the interior floor. There are a few terraces along parts of the inner wall.
The interior floor of Lyman is relatively level with a few minor ridges and a small number of tiny craterlets. At the mid-point of the interior floor is a central peak formation. This consists of a main peak with attached foothills to the north and northeast. This formation of ridges occupies a diameter of over 10 kilometers.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Lyman.| Lyman | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| P | 67.6° S | 158.5° E | 14 km |
| Q | 68.6° S | 156.7° E | 56 km |
| T | 64.1° S | 157.7° E | 59 km |
| V | 62.6° S | 154.2° E | 37 km |