Geological Chronicle
Schwarzschild is an impact crater measuring 211.42 kilometers across in the northern part of the Moon's far side. Classified as a peak ring basin, the structure lacks a central peak and instead features an interior topographic ring. The feature is named for German physicist and astronomer Karl Schwarzschild.
Dating to the Nectarian period of the lunar geologic timescale, the formation exhibits an outer rim softened and modified by impact erosion, particularly to the northeast. The rim is roughly circular with an outward bulge along the southwestern side, overlain by smaller craters including Schwarzschild K across the southeastern face and Schwarzschild D on the northeastern rim.
Inside the crater, the floor is relatively level compared to the rugged terrain outside, flattening particularly in the north-northeastern half. Low, irregular ridges lie to the west of the midpoint, where the peak ring exhibits the infrared spectrum of pure crystalline plagioclase. In the southeastern floor, the satellite crater Schwarzschild L is encircled by an outer rampart formed from impact ejecta.