Xenophanes is a lunar impact crater that is located along the northwestern limb of the Moon. It is nearly attached to Volta, a similar formation to the south-southwest. To the northeast is the smaller crater Cleostratus. Xenophanes is significantly foreshortened when viewed from the Earth, hindering observation.
It is a worn and eroded crater with a battered outer rim that is overlaid by several smaller craters. The rim is a circular range of rugged, irregular ground that is notched in places along the inner wall. A chain of small craters lies along the northern and northeastern rim. At the west end, a pair of clefts in the rim nearly join the floor to the surface beyond. To the northeast, Xenophanes A is an impact crater with a sharp rim and a rough interior.
The interior surface is irregular, but sections have been resurfaced by basaltic lava. A pair of flooded crater rims lie along the southern and northeast sections of the interior. The interior is more level and less rough at the eastern end.
thumb|Xenophanes captured with a telescope
Satellite craters
By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Xenophanes.
{| class="wikitable"
!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Xenophanes
!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Latitude
!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Longitude
!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Diameter
|-
|align="center"|A
|align="center"|60.1° N
|align="center"|84.8° W
|align="center"|42 km
|-
|align="center"|B
|align="center"|59.4° N
|align="center"|80.5° W
|align="center"|15 km
|-
|align="center"|C
|align="center"|59.6° N
|align="center"|78.7° W
|align="center"|8 km
|-
|align="center"|D
|align="center"|58.6° N
|align="center"|77.4° W
|align="center"|12 km
|-
|align="center"|E
|align="center"|58.1° N
|align="center"|85.8° W
|align="center"|12 km
|-
|align="center"|F
|align="center"|56.7° N
|align="center"|73.2° W
|align="center"|24 km
|-
|align="center"|G
|align="center"|56.9° N
|align="center"|75.7° W
|align="center"|7 km
|-
|align="center"|K
|align="center"|58.7° N
|align="center"|84.5° W
|align="center"|13 km
|-
|align="center"|L
|align="center"|54.8° N
|align="center"|78.6° W
|align="center"|21 km
|-
|align="center"|M
|align="center"|54.8° N
|align="center"|79.6° W
|align="center"|9 km
|}