Geological Chronicle
Icarus is an impact crater on the Moon's far side, spanning 94 kilometers in diameter. It lies directly west of the huge walled plain Korolev, less than two crater diameters east of Daedalus, and north of the smaller crater Amici.
Dating to the Imbrian period on the lunar geologic timescale, the crater has a worn rim and a relatively wide inner wall, with a small crater across its southern rim and a slight outward bulge along its southwestern face. Near the midpoint rises a disproportionately tall central peak that stands higher than the outer rim, unlike typical peaks that reach only about half the crater's depth. The surrounding floor is relatively flat in the eastern half and slightly more irregular to the west.
The crater was named by the Apollo 15 crew after composer Ralph Towner's tune 'Icarus', released on an album by the Paul Winter Consort. Consort cellist David Darling was the brother-in-law of astronaut Joseph P. Allen, who served as mission scientist on the Apollo 15 support crew and gave the astronauts a tape of the group's music.