Geological Chronicle
Petzval is an impact crater located in the southern latitudes of the Moon's far side, measuring 93.47 kilometers in diameter. Positioned south of the larger crater Lippmann and north of Doerfel, the structure formed during the Nectarian period. It sits on the southeast margin of the Pre-Nectarian South Pole-Aitken Basin and lies southwest of the 630-kilometer-wide Mendel-Rydberg Basin.
The crater exhibits moderate wear from impact erosion, which has rounded its features and softened its definition. Faded terrace structures remain traceable along portions of the eastern and southern inner walls, and small craterlets mark segments of the rim. The interior floor contains small craters in its southwest and northeast sections, surrounding a worn central peak near the midpoint.
The crater is named after Austrian optician and inventor Joseph Petzval, whose designation is recognized by the International Astronomical Union.