Geological Chronicle
Nernst is an impact crater spanning 121.52 kilometers in diameter on the lunar far side, situated just beyond the northwestern limb. The formation lies across the northern section of the larger walled plain Lorentz and intrudes slightly into the northwestern rim of Röntgen. While its rim remains relatively well-defined, several smaller impacts cut across the edge, including the satellite crater Nernst T along the western perimeter.
The crater's interior floor is relatively level and contains a central peak formation offset slightly south of the midpoint. A system of rilles marks parts of the floor, creating grooves that run generally from east to west in the southern half. Spectral observations have identified the signature of pure crystalline plagioclase within and around the crater, while the inner walls show slumping and terrace-like features.
Prior to official naming, the feature was identified on lunar charts as Crater 183. In 1970, the International Astronomical Union formally designated the crater Nernst in honor of the German physical chemist and Nobel laureate Walther Hermann Nernst.