Drawing of the lunar crater HaleOblique view of Hale from Apollo 15, facing south
Hale is a relatively young lunarimpact crater that is located on the southern limb of the Moon. Over half the crater lies on the far side of the Moon, and from the Earth this formation is viewed from the side. Thus the crater must be viewed from orbit in order to discern much detail. The nearest crater of note is Wexler to the north. To the east on the far side is the huge walled plain Schrödinger, and to the southwest is the crater Demonax.
The rim of Hale is well-defined, with little wear from later impacts, but has a somewhat irregular, notched perimeter. The inner surface is multiply terraced with some indications of slumping. The inner floor is flat with only a few tiny craterlets to mark the surface. Near the midpoint of the interior is a complex central peak formation, with an additional low rise just to the north.
Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. (1971). "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews. 12 (2): 136–186. Bibcode:1971SSRv...12..136M. doi:10.1007/BF00171763. S2CID122125855.
