crater
![Lunar impacr craters](../../images20/lunar_impact_craters.jpg)
Lunar impact craters.
A crater is a bowl-like depression (the word literally means "cup" in Latin) on the surface of a planet, moon, or asteroid. Craters range in size from a few centimeters to over 1,000 kilometers across, and are mostly caused by impact (see impact crater and impact basin) or by volcanic activity, though some are due to cryovolcanism.