Geological Chronicle
Einstein lies along the Moon’s western limb, where libration affects its visibility from Earth. Even under the best conditions, little detail can be observed except from lunar orbit. The crater measures 181.47 km across.
Einstein’s outer rim has been strongly degraded by many smaller impacts. At the center of the floor, the impact crater Einstein A has terraced inner walls and a central peak; its outer rampart spreads across the floor, covering over half Einstein’s diameter. The southwest floor has relatively flat areas. Two small craters on the west side have fractured floors and are believed to be secondary craters from the Orientale impact to the south. Einstein dates to the Pre-Nectarian period.
The claim that Patrick Moore discovered the crater in 1939 is probably erroneous. In the middle of the 20th century, Hugh Percy Wilkins designated it Caramuel, honoring Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz, but the IAU did not adopt that name. In 1963 E. Whitaker and D.W.G. Arthur named it Einstein after Albert Einstein, a German-American physicist and Nobel laureate (1879–1955). The IAU adopted the name in 1964.
A discarded Falcon 9 upper stage was expected to impact the Moon near Einstein on August 5, 2026. Images from the Danuri lunar orbiter captured the impact site on August 7, 2026.