Bessarion is a lunar impact crater located near the southwest edge of Mare Imbrium, on the Oceanus Procellarum. Some distance to the east is the crater T. Mayer. Bessarion is a bowl-shaped crater with a low central rise and a higher albedo than the surrounding maria, making it a brighter feature when the sun is overhead. The interior wall has dusky radial bands.
This crater is named after the learned Greek scholar Bessarion (1403-1472). The name was incorporated into lunar nomenclature by Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli in 1651. Its designation was formally adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1935. Just to the north of Bessarion is a smaller crater Bessarion E that also has a relatively high albedo. This crater is sometimes called Virgil, although this name is not officially recognized by the IAU.
Satellite craters By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Bessarion.
BessarionLatitudeLongitudeDiameterA17.1° N39.8° W13 kmB16.8° N41.7° W12 kmC16.0° N42.6° W9 kmD19.8° N41.7° W9 kmE15.4° N37.3° W8 kmG14.9° N40.3° W4 kmH15.3° N41.4° W5 kmV15.0° N35.0° W3 kmW16.7° N36.9° W3 km
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