Crater on Mercury named after Lermontov

I was surprised to discover that one of my favorite authors is now a crater on Mercury.



Lermontov is an impact crater on the planet Mercury, 152 kilometers in diameter. It is located at 15.2°N, 48.1°W, southwest of the crater Proust and northeast of the crater Giotto. It has a circular rim and a flat, featureless crater floor. Lermontov is likely a mature crater, but it remains a bright feature because of low opaque material on its floor. The crater is named after Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, a 19th century Russian poet. The name was approved by the International Astronomical Union in 1976.