Birkhoff is a giant lunar

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

 walled plain that is located on the far side of the Moon

Moon

The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

, in the northern hemisphere

Sphere

A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...

. This formation is an ancient impact site that has been heavily eroded, and the surface reshaped by multiple craters

Impact crater

In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...

 in the interior and along the rim. The outer wall is bordered by the craters Carnot

Carnot (crater)

Carnot is a large crater in the northern part of the Moon's far side. It intrudes into the southern rim of the huge walled plain Birkhoff. To the west-southwest of Carnot is the crater Paraskevopoulos....

 to the south, Rowland

Rowland (crater)

Rowland is a large lunar crater that is located in the northern part of the Moon, on the far side from the Earth. This is an old, worn formation that is overlain by a number of smaller craters. The most notable of these is Rowland Y, which is attached to the inner wall along the north-northwestern...

 along the west rim, and Stebbins

Stebbins (crater)

Stebbins is a large lunar crater on the far side of the Moon. It is located along the north-northeastern rim of the even larger crater Birkhoff, with about one-third of Stebbins laid across the interior of Birkhoff...

 to the north. Just to the northeast is van't Hoff

Van't Hoff (crater)

van't Hoff is a lunar crater that is located to the northeast of the walled plain Birkhoff, on the far side of the Moon. To the northwest is the crater Stebbins, and to the east lies the smaller Dyson....

.

What remains of the perimeter is now a rugged sloping rise along the inner wall, and the rim has been worn down until it is level with the irregular external terrain. The rim is pock-marked by small craters of various dimensions. Within the crater are several craters that are notable in their own right. Along the northwest inner rim is the eroded Birkhoff X, while due south in the southwest floor is Birkhoff Q. The later is joined by a low ridge to the double crater formation of Birkhoff K and L in the eastern half of the crater. In the northern interior are the smaller but relatively young Birkhoff Y and Z. The remainder of the floor is flat in places, with rough sections and many tiny craterlets.

Satellite craters

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Birkhoff.

Birkhoff	Latitude	Longitude	Diameter
K	57.8° N	144.3° W	58 km
L	56.6° N	144.8° W	37 km
M	54.7° N	144.8° W	23 km
Q	56.6° N	150.8° W	43 km
R	57.5° N	153.0° W	27 km
X	62.1° N	149.7° W	77 km
Y	59.9° N	146.6° W	25 km
Z	61.3° N	145.3° W	30 km