Avicenna (crater)

Avicenna
	Clementine mosaic
Coordinates	39°38′N 97°17′W / 39.63°N 97.28°W
Diameter	72.99 km (45.35 mi)
Depth	Unknown
Colongitude	98° at sunrise
Formation	Pre-Nectarian
Eponym	Avicenna

Avicenna is a lunar impact crater that lies on the far side of the Moon,^[2] just beyond the western limb on the northern rim of the Lorentz basin. It lies to the north-northwest of the larger crater Nernst, and to the southeast of Bragg.^[3]

This formation dates to the Pre-Nectarian period on the lunar geologic timescale.^[2] Much of the northern half of Avicenna has been obliterated by subsequent, overlapping impacts. The southern and southeastern rim is worn and eroded, but the outline can still be discerned. There is a small crater lying across the southern rim, although this formation is equally worn. Several small craters lie across the southern extent of Avicenna's floor.^[4]^: 36

This crater is named after Persian physician Ibn Sina (980–1037),^[5] known in the West as Avicenna. Prior to formal naming by the IAU in 1970,^[1] Avicenna was called Crater 180.^[6]

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 Avicenna.^[7]

Avicenna^[4]^: 292	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
E	40.0° N	91.1° W	25 km
G	39.0° N	92.0° W	26 km
R	38.9° N	100.1° W	21 km

References

1 2 "Avicenna". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
1 2 3 Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.
↑ "LAC 36" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.
↑ Menzel, D. H.; et al. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.
↑ "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)". Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1) Series, scale 1:5,000,000 (2nd ed.). October 1967. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
↑ Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

Sources

Rükl, Antonín (1990). Atlas of the Moon. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 978-0-913135-17-4.
Wlasuk, Peter T. (2000). Observing the Moon. Springer. ISBN 978-1-85233-193-1.

External links

Media related to Avicenna (crater) at Wikimedia Commons

[GPN-1] 1 2 "Avicenna". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.

[Byrne_2008-2] 1 2 3 Byrne, Charles J. (2008). The Far Side of the Moon. Springer. pp. 174–175. ISBN 978-1-4899-8806-5.

[LAC-36-3] "LAC 36" (PDF). Gazeteer of Planetary Nomenclature. Retrieved 2026-06-09.

[Bussey_Spudis_2004-4] 1 2 Bussey, B.; Spudis, P. (2004). The Clementine Atlas of the Moon. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-81528-4.

[Menzel_et_al_1971-5] Menzel, D. H.; et al. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID 122125855.

[LFC-1A-6] "Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1A)". Lunar Farside Chart (LFC-1) Series, scale 1:5,000,000 (2nd ed.). October 1967. Retrieved 2026-05-26.

[Grego_2015-7] Grego, P. (2015). "Satellite Crater". In Hargitai, H.; Kereszturi, Á. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. New York, NY: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_328.

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