Maskelyne (crater)

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Maskelyne is a solitary lunar impact crater in the southeast part of Mare Tranquillitatis. It is 22 km across and about 2.5 km deep. The crater is named after British astronomer Nevil Maskelyne. The outer rim is roughly circular but a bit polygonal; the inner walls are terraced, and there is a low central rise on the floor. Tranquility Base, the Apollo 11 landing site, lies about 250 km to the west-southwest. Nearby craters include Wallach and Aryabhata to the northeast, and Censorinus to the southeast; to the south are lunar mountains known as Duke Island and Boot Hill. Sinuous rilles southwest and west of Maskelyne were informally named Sidewinder and Diamondback by Apollo 10, and later maps mark them with letters near the side of Maskelyne’s midpoint closest to each rille.