| Coordinates: | -45.34°N 176.15°W |
| Diameter: | 3.8 km |
| Depth: | Unknown |
| Eponym: | Constellation name in ancient Chinese star map |
Zhinyu is a lunar impact crater that is located within Von Kármán crater on the far side of the Moon. The crater is located west of the landing site of the Chinese Chang'e 4 lander.[1] The best fit model of the crater impactor suggest a projectile with a diameter of and a velocity of .
The crater's name was approved by the IAU on 4 February 2019.[2] It is named after the Chinese mythical figure Zhinü, the “weaver girl” from the traditional myth The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, as well as an ancient Chinese constellation.[2]
This is a young crater with a diameter of about and a depth of around . This impact penetrated the deep basalt mare deposits in the Von Kármán crater, thus providing information about the subsurface deposits. The ejecta from the Zhinyu crater varies radially by distance, suggesting a heterogeneous composition. It displays three layers of separate deposits from the mare, but the composition of the layers is similar and may have a common origin.