Geological Chronicle
Hecataeus is a large lunar impact crater near the eastern limb of the Moon, attached to the northern rim of the walled plain Humboldt. To its northeast lies the smaller crater Gibbs. East of Hecataeus, a chain of small craters forms a line radial to Humboldt, designated Catena Humboldt after the neighboring walled plain.
The formation is a worn and eroded walled plain with wide inner walls. Its northern part overlies half of Hecataeus K, a fairly substantial crater. Along the southern rim, ejecta from the outer rampart of Humboldt forms a rugged surface across the southern floor, in contrast to the relatively featureless northern floor. Several small, bowl-shaped craters lie across the eastern rim and inner wall, while the western rim is less damaged by impacts.
In 1935, the International Astronomical Union officially named the crater after the Greek geographer Hecataeus of Miletus.