Parsons is an 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...

 on the battered 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 west-northwest of the crater Krylov

Krylov (crater)

Krylov is a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It lies about one crater diameter to the northwest of Cockroft, and due west of Evershed....

, and to the east of Moore

Moore (crater)

Moore is an impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. Like much of the far side, Moore is located in a region that has been saturated by impacts...

. Parsons is roughly circular in shape and the rim has undergone some erosion. There is a smaller, cup-shaped crater laid across the southeastern rim, and small craterlets along the northeastern and western rim edges. The interior is relatively featureless, with a floor that is about half the diameter of the crater.

This crater is named after the occultist and rocket scientist Jack Parsons, an important participant at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...

 in Pasadena, California

Pasadena, California

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

.

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 Parsons.

Parsons	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
D	38.5° N	168.6° W	54 km
E	37.6° N	167.8° W	26 km
L	33.6° N	170.0° W	31 km
M	33.8° N	171.7° W	23 km
N	34.2° N	173.2° W	43 km
P	35.2° N	172.8° W	28 km