Couder is a small

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

impact crater An impact crater is a depression (geology), depression in the surface of a solid astronomical body formed by the hypervelocity impact event, impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal c ...

that is located just behind the western limb of the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

, in a region of the surface that is brought into view during favorable

libration In lunar astronomy, libration is the cyclic variation in the apparent position of the Moon that is perceived by observers on the Earth and caused by changes between the orbital and rotational planes of the moon. It causes an observer to see ...

s. It lies on the inner foothills of the

Montes Cordillera Montes Cordillera is a mountain range on the Moon. This feature forms the outer ring of peaks surrounding the Mare Orientale impact basin, with the inner ring formed by the Montes Rook. The center of the range is located at selenographic coordina ...

, a ring-shaped mountain range that surrounds the

Mare Orientale Mare Orientale (Latin ''orientāle'', the "eastern sea") is a lunar mare. It is located on the western border of the near side and far side of the Moon, and is difficult to see from an Earthbound perspective. Images from spacecraft have revea ...

impact basin. This region is relatively devoid of major craters, with the nearest being Schlüter almost due east. Slightly farther to the south of Couder is Maunder, at the edge of the

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

. Couder was designated Maunder Z prior to being named by the

IAU The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

. This is a bowl-shaped crater with a sharp rim and an interior floor about half the diameter of the crater. The crater is slightly long along a line to the northwest, where the inner wall is also at its widest. It is otherwise an undistinguished crater formation.

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{Craters on the Moon: C-F Impact craters on the Moon