Babbage (crater)

Babbage is a lunar impact crater that lies in the north-western part of the Moon, near the limb. It is located to the north of the crater Pythagoras, and east of the smaller crater Xenophanes. Due to its location, Babbage is viewed at a very oblique angle from the Earth, which hinders observation of details.

The outer rim of Babbage is heavily eroded, with a multitude of smaller craters lying along the rim and within the interior. The most prominent of these is Babbage D, which lies across the northeast rim. Babbage C is another significant craterlet situated in the southwestern part of the floor. The interior floor is relatively level, but marked by several small craterlets. There is no central peak.

Babbage's formation is likely quite old, given the degraded state of its features. Its proximity to the lunar limb contributes to the challenge of studying it in detail from Earth-based telescopes.

The crater is named after Charles Babbage, an English mathematician, philosopher, mechanical engineer and computer pioneer.