The crater has a well-defined circular rim, terraced inner wall, central mountain peaks, an irregular floor, and an outer rampart of ejecta.

The model is based on observations made by Blunt with a reflecting telescope from his home in Shrewsbury and was displayed in the same year at the Great Exhibition, London.

Pickering believed that the Moon had a thicker atmosphere and reported seeing climatic variations such as frost and snow, leading him to refer to the crater as the "Gardens of Eratosthenes".

The scientific community did not share his enthusiasm for these ideas,[6] but they received a degree of attention in the popular press of the time primarily due to Pickering's reputation.

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Eratosthenes.