Shackleton (crater)

The Shackleton crater lies at the south pole of the Moon. The rotational axis of the Moon lies within the rim of the crater, and is only a few kilometers from its center. From the perspective of the Earth, this crater lies along the southern limb of the Moon, making observation difficult. Detailed mapping of the polar regions and farside of the Moon did not occur until the advent of orbiting spacecraft.

The crater is small (about 19 km in diameter), and from Earth is viewed edge-on in a region of rough, cratered terrain. The rim is slightly raised about the surrounding surface and it has an outer rampart that has been only lightly impacted. No significant craters intersect the rim.

The Shackleton crater lies entirely within the rim of the immense South Pole-Aitken basin, which is the largest known impact formation in the Solar system. This basin is over 12 kilometers deep, and an exploration of its properties could provide useful information about the lunar interior.

Nearby craters of note include the Shoemaker, Sverdrup, De Gerlache, and Faustini craters. Somewhat further away, on the eastern hemisphere of the lunar near side, are the larger Amundsen and Scott craters, named for two other early explorers of the Antarctic continent.