Leeuwenhoek is a
lunar 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 lies in 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 ...
's southern
hemisphere
Hemisphere may refer to:
In geometry
* Hemisphere (geometry), a half of a sphere
As half of Earth or any spherical astronomical object
* A hemisphere of Earth
** Northern Hemisphere
** Southern Hemisphere
** Eastern Hemisphere
** Western Hemi ...
, on the
far side from the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
. It is located to the east of the crater
Birkeland and the unusual double crater
Van de Graaff. To the northeast of Leeuwenhoek is
Orlov and to the south is the large walled plain
Leibnitz
Leibnitz (; ) is a city in the Austrian States of Austria, state of Styria and on 1 Jan. 2023 had a population of 13,014. It is located to the south of the city of Graz, between the Mur (river), Mur and Sulm (Austria), Sulm rivers.
The town is ...
. It is named after
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek ( ; ; 24 October 1632 – 26 August 1723) was a Dutch microbiologist and microscopist in the Golden Age of Dutch art, science and technology. A largely self-taught man in science, he is commonly known as " ...
.
The outer rim of Leeuwenhoek is worn and eroded, forming an irregular mountainous ring about the relatively level interior floor. The inner wall is wider along the western and southern sides, offsetting the floor to the northeast. At the midpoint of the interior is a central peak formation. There are a pair of small craterlets on the floor and several tiny craters. Leeuwenhoek partly overlaps the satellite crater Leeuwenhoek E to the northeast.
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 Leeuwenhoek.
References
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{{Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
Impact craters on the Moon
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek