Ioffe is a lunar impact crater located on the far side of the Moon. It is centered at selenographic coordinates 14°24′S 129°12′W and has a diameter of approximately 86 kilometers. The crater is named after Abram Fedorovich Ioffe, a prominent Russian and Soviet physicist known for his contributions to solid-state physics and the founder of the Soviet semiconductor school.
Location and Surroundings
Ioffe lies to the south of the large walled plain Hertzsprung and is attached to the southwestern outer rim of the crater Fridman. A short stretch of terrain separates Ioffe from the crater Belopol'skiy to the southeast.
Geology and Characteristics
Ioffe is a relatively youthful crater dating to the Late Imbrian period on the lunar geologic timescale. It features a well-defined outer rim and a terraced inner wall. However, the outer rim has been marked by subsequent impacts. A smaller crater lies along the rim edge where Ioffe joins Fridman, and a small craterlet is present along the northwestern rim.
The interior floor is relatively level, with the exception of a low, uneven ridge of material that stretches from just east of the midpoint to the south-southwestern inner wall. The infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase has been identified on this central ridge. The interior is otherwise free of notable impacts.
Naming
The crater was officially named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in honor of Abram Ioffe (1880–1960), a Soviet physicist who made significant contributions to the study of semiconductors and solid-state physics. The name has occasionally been misspelled as "Joffe" on some historical charts.
