| Crater characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 13.6° N, 40.6° E |
| Diameter | 32 km |
| Depth | 1.0 km |
| Colongitude | 320° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Charles Lyell |
Lyell is a lunar crater that lies along the eastern edge of the Mare Tranquillitatis, at the northern arm of the bay designated Sinus Concordiae. To the north along the edge of the lunar mare is the Franz crater. The region of terrain to the east of Lyell is named Palus Somni.
The outer rim of this crater is an irregular series of ridges in a roughly circular formation. There are multiple gaps through this rim, connected the interior to the mare in the west. The wall is at its thickest along the eastern side of the crater.
The interior floor has been resurfaced by lava, leaving a level, featureless surface that has no markings or impacts of note. The central region of the inner floor has a relatively low albedo compared to the surrounding terrain, giving it a dark appearance that matches the nearby mare.
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Lyell crater.
| Lyell | Latitude | Longitude | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 14.3° N | 39.6° E | 7 km |
| B | 14.4° N | 38.4° E | 5 km |
| C | 15.2° N | 39.4° E | 5 km |
| D | 14.7° N | 41.5° E | 18 km |
| K | 15.3° N | 40.9° E | 5 km |
References
| General references for lunar craters |
|---|
| Andersson, L. E.; Whitaker, E. A., (1982). NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA RP-1097. |
| Blue, Jennifer (July 25, 2007). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved on 2007-08-05. |
| Bussey, B.; Spudis, P., (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81528-2. |
| Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. (1995). Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. ISBN 0-936389-27-3. |
| Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by The Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews 12: 136. |
| Moore, Patrick (2001). On the Moon. Sterling Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-304-35469-4. |
| Price, Fred W. (1988). The Moon observer's handbook. Cambridge University Press. |
| Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-913135-17-8. |
| Webb, Rev. T. W. (1962). Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes, 6th revision, Dover. ISBN 0-486-20917-2. |
| Whitaker, Ewen A. (1999). Mapping and Naming the Moon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62248-4. |
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