Geological Chronicle
Near the Moon’s southern limb, Demonax is difficult to observe because of foreshortening, and libration affects its visibility. When the crater is on the sunlit side, light arrives at a very low angle; the north-side inner wall receives very little illumination. Demonax lies just north of Scott, one of the south polar formations, with Boguslawsky to the north-northwest.
Demonax consists primarily of anorthosite with patches of mare basalts. Its rim is worn and eroded, with several small craters along the edge and inner walls. The southeast rim has a notable collection of impacts, including satellite crater Demonax A, which intrudes into the interior floor.
The crater bottom has been resurfaced, leaving a flat, level floor. A group of central peaks lies near the midpoint. The northern part of the floor is rough and hummocky, while remnants of terraces remain along the western interior floor.
The crater is named after the Greek philosopher Demonax, who flourished in the 2nd century A.D. Johann F. J. Schmidt introduced the name into lunar nomenclature in 1878. The International Astronomical Union formally adopted the designation in 1935.