Raman is a small
lunar impact crater
An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...
that lies on the western edge of a plateau feature in the expansive
lunar mare named
Oceanus Procellarum. It shares this plateau with the
lava
Lava is molten or partially molten rock ( magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...
-flooded
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known for ...
and
Aristarchus to the southeastern. To the northeast of Raman is the small peak named
Mons Herodotus. To the northwest on the mare is the long, narrow range named the
Montes Agricola.
This is an elongated crater formation, with a secondary feature bulging out along the southeast rim. The inner walls of this crater have a higher
albedo
Albedo (; ) is the measure of the diffuse reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation and measured on a scale from 0, corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation, to 1, corresponding to a body that refl ...
than the surrounding
terrain
Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin w ...
, which is indicative of a relatively youthful formation. This crater was previously designated Herodotus D, a satellite crater of Herodotus, before being named by the
IAU
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...
.
References
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Impact craters on the Moon