d'Alembert is a large
lunar 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 ...
located in the
northern hemisphere 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 ...
, to the northeast of the somewhat smaller walled plain
Campbell. Astride the southwest rim of d'Alembert is
Slipher. To the north is the crater
Yamamoto
Yamamoto (written: lit. "base of the mountain") is the 9th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese politician
*, Japanese World War II flying ace
*, Japanese judoka
*, Japanese manga artist and characte ...
, and to the south-southwest lies
Langevin. This walled plain has the same diameter as
Clavius on the near side, making it one of the largest such formations on the Moon.
As with many lunar walled plains of comparable dimensions, the outer rim of this formation has been worn and battered by subsequent impacts. Besides Slipher, the most notable of these craters is d'Alembert Z intruding into the northern rim. There is also a small crater on the northwest inner wall that has a wide cleft in its eastern side, and a smaller crater along the southeastern inner wall. As eroded as the rim may be, its form can still be readily discerned as a roughly circular ridge line in the lunar terrain.
The interior floor of d'Alembert is a relatively level surface, at least in comparison with the rough terrain that surrounds the crater rim. It is marked with a number of small crater impacts, the largest being d'Alembert G and d'Alembert E toward the eastern rim. In the southwest, the floor is more irregular due to the outer
rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...
and layers of ejecta from Slipher. A pair of shallow clefts in the floor surface radiate away from this crater, beginning near the midpoint of d'Alembert and reaching half-way toward the inner wall.
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 D'Alembert.
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Impact craters on the Moon
{{Craters on the Moon: C-F