260px, Oblique Lunar Orbiter 5 image
Stoney 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 crater ...
on 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 ...
, located in the southern part of its
far side, approximately 47.5 kilometers in diameter. In 1970, it was named by IAU's
Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature
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, outreach ...
after Anglo-Irish physicist
George Johnstone Stoney (1826–1911).
It lies to the southeast of the crater
Baldet and to the east of
Bhabha.
The rim of this crater is sharp-edged but with a somewhat irregular lip that has slumped in places. There are small outward bulges in the rim to the east and northwest. The inner wall is uneven with diagonal grooves and heaps where the material has slumped. The interior floor is also somewhat uneven, especially in the eastern half. There are two small craterlets within the interior, located at the base of the northeast and southern inner walls.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{refend
Impact craters on the Moon
