Tsiolkovskiy (crater)

Tsiolkovskiy is a large lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon. It lies in the southern hemisphere, to the west of Gagarin crater, and northwest of the Milne crater. Just to the south is Waterman crater, and Neujmin crater lies to the south-southwest. This feature was first observed by photographs sent back by the Luna 3.

This is one of the most prominent features to be found on that hemisphere. It possesses high, terraced inner walls and a well-formed central peak. The floor is unusual for a crater on the far side, as it is covered by the dark-hued mare that is characteristic of the maria found on the near side. The distribution of the maria material is not symmetrical across the floor, but is instead more heavily concentrated to the east and south. There is also a protruding bay of darker material that reaches the wall to the west-northwest. The remainder of the floor has the same albedo as the terrain surrounding the crater.

The crater protrudes into the Fermi crater, a comparably-sized formation that does not have a lava-flooded floor.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on Lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Tsiolkovskiy crater.