Maxwell is a
crater on the
far side 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 ...
named after the physicist
James C. Maxwell. It lies in the southwestern part of the larger crater
Richardson. The southern part of Maxwell is overlain in turn by the partly flooded
Lomonosov. Less than one crater diameter to the southwest is the larger
Joliot.
The surviving outer rim of Maxwell is generally uneven and ill-defined where it overlies Richardson. Only along the western edge is it fairly well organized, but even there it is worn and eroded. The interior floor is relatively level and displays patches of low-
albedo
Albedo (; ) is the measure of the diffuse reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation and measured on a scale from 0, corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation, to 1, corresponding to a body that refl ...
material, usually an indication of
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
ic
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 ...
, possibly from impact melt. However the floor is dusted with material from the
ray system of
Giordano Bruno, located to the north-northeast, which has lightened the surface. The southern part of the interior floor is overlain by the outer
rampart of Lomonosov.
Prior to formal naming in 1961 by the
IAU, this crater was known as ''Crater 112''.
Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)
/ref>
References
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* {{cite book
, first = Peter T.
, last = Wlasuk
, date = 2000
, title = Observing the Moon
, publisher = Springer
, isbn = 978-1-85233-193-1
Impact craters on the Moon
James Clerk Maxwell