Lalande (crater)
Apollo 12 image
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| Coordinates | 4°24′S 8°36′W / 4.4°S 8.6°WCoordinates: 4°24′S 8°36′W / 4.4°S 8.6°W |
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| Diameter | 24 km |
| Depth | 2.6 km |
| Colongitude | 9° at sunrise |
| Eponym | Joseph J. L. de Lalande |
Lalande is a small lunar impact crater that lies in the central part of the visible Moon, on the eastern edge of Mare Insularum. The crater is surrounded by a high-albedo area of ejecta that extends into a ray system with a maximum radius of over 300 kilometers. The interior wall has a system, and there is a small central rise at the midpoint of the floor. This crater is believed to have formed about 2.8 billion years ago.
In 2002, a meteorite was discovered in the Oman desert by Edwin Gnos of the University of Berne. This rock, identified as Sayh al Uhaymir 169, is believed to have originated from the Moon. It was ejected from the surface during an impact that occurred less than 340,000 years in the past. Scientists now think that the rock originated from the crater ejecta blanket surrounding Lalande.
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Lalande.
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