Geological Chronicle
Pontécoulant is a prominent 91.4-kilometer impact crater located in the southeastern part of the Moon. Because of its position, the formation appears foreshortened from Earth, making it difficult to observe in detail. Nearby features include Hanno to the northeast and the comparably sized Helmholtz due south.
Dated to the Nectarian period, the crater exhibits a terraced inner wall that is nearly circular, marked by an outward extension to the southeast. Its somewhat worn rim retains substantial detail while partly overlying the older, smaller crater Pontécoulant E along the southern boundary. Tiny craterlets dot the eastern inner wall and the southwestern slope.
The inner floor is nearly flat, broken by rough ground near the southern rim and low central peaks situated southwest of the midpoint. A small, prominent crater occupies the center of the floor amid scattered minor impacts. The International Astronomical Union approved the name in 1935 for French mathematician Philippe Gustave Doulcet, Comte de Pontécoulant. In August 2023, the inner rim of satellite crater Pontécoulant G became the crash site of the Russian Luna 25 lander.