Geological Chronicle
Bell is a lunar impact crater positioned on the Moon's far side, just beyond the western limb, spanning 86.33 kilometers in diameter. It rests within a landscape marked by numerous small craters, several of which are designated as its satellite features. In its regional setting, Bell lies within two crater diameters of the crater Laue to the north and sits to the west of the smaller crater Helberg.
On the lunar geologic timescale, Bell is catalogued as belonging to the Nectarian period, although it may instead date to the Pre-Nectarian or Early Imbrian epochs. Over geologic time, subsequent impacts have worn, eroded, and somewhat reshaped its outer wall. Satellite crater Bell Q lies directly across the southwestern rim, while smaller craters lie across the rim to the north and east. Across the interior, the floor is relatively level and marked by the crater Bell E, which is offset east of the midpoint; this flat floor is most likely due to lava infiltrating the ground from below without breaching the surface.
Before receiving its formal lunar designation from the International Astronomical Union, the landmark was catalogued as Crater 182. In 1970, the IAU officially named the feature after Scottish-American inventor Alexander Graham Bell, honoring his life and work.