Geological Chronicle
Positioned near the southwest rim of the Moon, Phocylides spans a diameter of 115.18 kilometers. The impact structure directly overlays the southern rim of the crater Nasmyth to the north and sits northwest of the Schiller-Zucchius Basin. Neighboring features include the plateau formation Wargentin to the northwest, the merged formation Schiller to the east, and Pingré to the southwest.
The outer wall of Phocylides is worn and eroded, especially along the western edge, while the northern rim is notched and irregular, joined to the southern rim of Wargentin by a rise of ground. The crater Phocylides F lies across the southern rim. Flooded and relatively smooth, the interior floor has no central peak, containing a few small craterlets and a notable crater near the northeast rim. T. W. Webb called the interior floor monotonous in hue.
The crater is named for Dutch astronomer Johannes Phocylides Holwarda (Jan Fokker), who lived from 1618 to 1651.