Geological Chronicle
Positioned near the Moon's southern pole, Nobile is an eroded impact crater measuring 79.27 kilometers across. The feature lies south of Scott along the western rim of Amundsen, with the smaller craters Shoemaker and Faustini situated between Nobile and the southern pole. Sunlight enters the interior at a very oblique angle, leaving the formation almost constantly cloaked in deep shadows.
The crater rim is overlaid by several lesser craters, including a formation roughly half the diameter of Nobile along its western rim and small craters along the southwest and northern parts. To the east, the outer rampart of Amundsen overlies the eastern rim and inner wall. The floor is somewhat irregular and marked by a few small craterlets, while nearby features named in recent years include Burbidge on the southern rim and Stose to the southwest.
Previously designated Scott A, the crater received its formal name from the International Astronomical Union in 1994, honoring the Italian aviator and explorer Umberto Nobile. In September 2021, NASA selected Mons Mouton on the crater's western edge as the landing site for the VIPER mission. Although that project was cancelled in 2024 due to cost overruns, Griffin Mission One is scheduled for mid-2026 to land near Nobile carrying the Astrolab FLIP rover.