Hamilton is a

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact craters ...

that is located near the southeastern limb of the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

. From the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

this crater is viewed nearly from the edge, limiting the amount of detail that can be observed. It can also become hidden from sight due to

libration In lunar astronomy, libration is the wagging or wavering of the Moon perceived by Earth-bound observers and caused by changes in their perspective. It permits an observer to see slightly different hemispheres of the surface at different tim ...

, or brought into a more favorably viewing position. This crater is situated almost due east of the

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

-flooded crater Oken, near the uneven

Mare Australe Mare Australe (Latin ''austrāle'' the "Southern Sea") is a lunar mare located in the southeastern hemisphere of the Moon. It is 997 kilometers in diameter, overlapping the near and far sides of the Moon. Smooth, dark volcanic basalt lines the ...

. To the northeast of Hamilton, along the lunar limb, is the flooded crater Gum. Less than three crater diameters to the south is the flooded walled plain Lyot. This is a nearly circular crater, although the rim to the north is somewhat straightened. It has a well-formed edge that has not been noticeably degraded through impact erosion. There are

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

s along the interior sides, particularly along the western edge (which is hidden from view from the Earth.) The interior floor is deep and uneven, with an impact feature joining the midpoint to the north-northwestern inner wall. To the east and southeast of this crater is a larger, arcing feature that resembles the remains of an old crater. Hamilton lies concentric with the circle in the surface that would be described by this arc. However, only the eastern portion of the old rim survives.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Hamilton.

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend Impact craters on the Moon