Lermontov is an

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 ...

on the planet Mercury. The crater is named after

Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov (; russian: Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjurʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲɛrməntəf; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet o ...

, a 19th-century

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n poet. The name was approved by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

in 1976. The crater floor is somewhat brighter than the exterior surface and is smooth with several irregularly shaped depressions. Such features, similar to those found on the floor of

Praxiteles Praxiteles (; el, Πραξιτέλης) of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most renowned of the Attica sculptors of the 4th century BC. He was the first to sculpt the nude female form in a life-size statue. While no indubita ...

, may be evidence of past explosive volcanic activity on the crater floor. Lermontov appears reddish in enhanced-color views, suggesting that it has a different composition from the surrounding surface. To the north of Lermontov are

Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous E ...

and Bek craters. To the south is Chaikovskij, and to the southwest is

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/Proto-Renaissance period. Giot ...

Views

Mariner 10 image 0027253.png, Mariner 10 image with Lermontov in upper right corner Lermontov crater MESSENGER WAC IGF to RGB.jpg, Lermontov in approximate color Lermontov crater EN1063940039M.jpg, Oblique view of the interior of Lermontov. Bright spots are hollows. Lermontov crater hollows EN0258631468M.jpg, Hollows in northern Lermontov crater Depression in Lermontov crater EN0254051725M.jpg, One of the depressions in Lermontov

References

External links

Kuiper quadrangle maps
{{Mercury (planet) Impact craters on Mercury Mikhail Lermontov