OBSERVE
Remote observation of craters through public orbital and ground archives — imagery, topography, radar, spectra — with the source of every image recorded.
CRATER.WORLD / INSTITUTION
An open research institution for the craters of the Solar System
Crater.world connects observation, cataloguing, naming, expeditions, education and open data around one object — the impact crater. Every claim is tied to a source, and every unknown stays visible.
5,500+crater profiles across the Solar System
6United Nations languages
220observatories, missions and data resources mapped
2primary source families: the IAU/USGS Gazetteer and the Earth Impact Database
Six directions, one object
CATALOGUE
One card system for every crater: identity, coordinates, dimensions, status and sources. Official names come only from the IAU Gazetteer.
NAME
An open, non-commercial process that prepares evidence-based proposals for craters that have no name. We recommend; the IAU decides.
EXPLORE
Online expeditions that work with public data, and field expeditions to confirmed impact structures on Earth.
TEACH
Crater Academy: learning routes for schools, universities, teachers and independent researchers.
OPEN DATA
Versioned CSV, JSON and GeoJSON with persistent IDs, sources and correction history.
Principles
Source first
Every field of a profile points to an official or peer-reviewed source.
The unknown stays visible
Observation, measurement, calculation, reconstruction and hypothesis are never merged into one claim.
Official names belong to the IAU
Crater.world never presents its own candidates or working codes as official names.
Open, and not for sale
No name, shortlist place or vote can be bought. Funding and relationships are disclosed.
Independent review
Proposals and scientific claims go through a published rationale, conflict disclosure and a correction route.
Honest status
Every programme shows whether it is live, a pilot, in preparation or planned.
Status today
We show what is live and what is not. Nothing here is announced before it exists.
| Programme | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Crater catalogue | LIVE | 5,500+ profiles in six languages. Field-by-field source review is in progress. |
| Source ledger | IN PROGRESS | Provenance is being completed profile by profile; unverified fields are marked as such. |
| Open naming programme | PILOT | No name has been proposed to the IAU. No vote, donation or partnership is open. |
| Online expeditions | DESIGNED | The method is defined on this site; the first reports are in preparation. |
| Field expeditions | IN PREPARATION | None conducted yet. Permits, safety plan and team come first. |
| Partners | NONE ANNOUNCED | Institutions are listed only after written confirmation. |
Governance
A multidisciplinary council — planetary science, history and culture, language and education, rights and ethics, territorial representation — recommends names and reviews claims. The council is being formed: members are named only with their written consent, and conflicts of interest are published.
Corrections, sources, data and research collaboration are welcome
Write through the contact form or to contact@crater.world. Every request is registered, and the editorial team replies from the same address.