Maxwell is a 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...

 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...

 named after the physicist James C. Maxwell. It lies in the southwestern part of the larger crater Richardson

Richardson (lunar crater)

Richardson is a large lunar crater located on the Moon's far side, just behind the eastern limb. It lies to the south of the huge walled plain Harkhebi, and to the east-southeast of the crater Vestine. Just to the northeast is Szilard, and to the southeast is Artamonov.A substantial portion of the...

. The southern part of Maxwell is overlain in turn by the partly flooded Lomonosov

Lomonosov (lunar crater)

Lomonosov is a lunar crater that is located just behind the western limb of the Moon. It is almost attached to the east-northeastern outer rim of the larger crater Joliot, and overlies the southern rim of Maxwell...

. Attached to the exterior along the south-southeastern rim is the smaller crater Edison

Edison (crater)

Edison is a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located just behind the north-northeastern limb of the Moon, a region that is sometimes brought into sight from Earth during favorable librations...

, while less than one crater diameter to the southwest is the larger Joliot

Joliot (crater)

Joliot is a large lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon, just past the eastern limb. At this location it lies in a region of the surface that comes into sight during a favorable libration, although at such times it is viewed from the side...

.

The surviving outer rim of Maxwell is generally uneven and ill-defined where it overlies Richardson. Only along the western edge is it fairly well organized, but even there it is worn and eroded. The interior floor is relatively level and displays patches of low-albedo

Albedo

Albedo , or reflection coefficient, is the diffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface. It is defined as the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it...

 material, usually an indication of basalt

Basalt

Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...

ic lava

Lava

Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...

, possibly from impact melt. However the floor is dusted with material from the ray system

Ray system

A ray system comprises radial streaks of fine ejecta thrown out during the formation of an impact crater, looking a bit like many thin spokes coming from the hub of a wheel. The rays can extend for lengths up to several times the diameter of their originating crater, and are often accompanied by...

 of Giordano Bruno

Giordano Bruno (crater)

Giordano Bruno is a 22 km lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon, just beyond the northeastern limb. At this location it lies in an area that can be viewed during a favorable libration, although at such times the area is viewed from the side and not much detail can be seen...

, located to the north-northeast, which has lightened the surface. The southern part of the interior floor is overlain by the outer rampart of Lomonosov.