Van De Graaf Crater

Van de Graaff crater is located on the farside of the Moon south of Aitken crater. Two merged craters make up the formation.

Unlike other merged craters on the Moon, there is no rim separating the two "sections" of the crater. A relatively strong magnetic field was detected near this crater by the Apollo 15 subsatellite magnetometer. This discovery was unusual for the lunar surface because the Moon does not currently have a global magnetic field like the Earth does.

Also, Van de Graaff and the surrounding area also have slightly higher concentrations of thorium, a radioactive metal.

Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University