Geological Chronicle
Positioned along the southeastern limb of the Moon within the irregular and patchy expanse of Mare Australe, Lyot is an impact crater measuring 150.6 kilometers in diameter. Located south of the crater Hamilton, the formation is viewed at a low angle from Earth, and its visibility is affected by libration.
The interior floor of the crater has been resurfaced by lava, leaving a dark interior matching the albedo of the surrounding mare. Its outer rim is low and heavily worn, forming a somewhat distorted circle. Several small, bowl-shaped craters mark the southwestern section of the floor and rim, and the remains of a ghost crater lie to the east of the midpoint.
The crater is named after French astronomer Bernard Ferdinand Lyot.