Nijland is a relatively small

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

far side ''The Far Side'' is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surrealis ...

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 ...

. This is a relatively isolated crater that is surrounded by an impacted surface with smaller craters. The nearest significant crater is Kurchatov to the northeast. More than 100 km to the north of Nijland is a crater chain that runs from the south of Kurchatov towards the west-northwest. This chain is designated Catena Kurchatov. This is a roughly circular, bowl-shaped crater with a slight outward bulge along the western face. Although worn, the rim edge remains well-defined and is not overlain by any significant impacts. The interior floor is about half the crater diameter, and there are only a few tiny craterlets marking the surface.

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 Nijland.

References

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