Pierazzo
Lunar far-side impact crater; directly observed by Artemis II crew during flyby.
Last refreshed: 5 April 2026
Why is Artemis II the first mission where humans saw Pierazzo crater directly?
Latest on Pierazzo
- What craters did the Artemis II crew see on the lunar far side?
- The crew observed Pierazzo and Ohm craters alongside the Orientale basin during their Day 5 far-side passage, the first direct human observation of these features.Source:
- Who was Pierazzo crater named after?
- Pierazzo crater is named after Elisabetta Pierazzo, an Italian-American planetary scientist who specialised in impact cratering and died in 2011.
Background
Pierazzo crater was observed directly by the Artemis II crew during their passage around the lunar far side, alongside Ohm crater and the vast Orientale basin. The sighting on Day 5 marked the first time humans had direct line-of-sight views of these formations.
Pierazzo is a ~45-kilometre-diameter impact crater on the Moon’s far side, named after Italian-American planetary scientist Elisabetta Pierazzo (1963–2011), who specialised in impact cratering mechanics. It lies in the general region of the Orientale basin.
The Artemis II flyby gave crew members a brief unobstructed view of far-side terrain that had never been seen by human eyes except in orbital photographs taken by robotic probes.