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

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{refend Impact craters on the Moon