List of features on the Moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Moon's surface is covered in many interesting geological features. In addition to mountains, valleys, and craters, the following surface features have received names in the Lunar nomenclature. Many of these features are named after a nearby crater or mountain.
The listed diameter for these features is the longest dimension that contains the entire geological formation. The latitude and longitude are in selenographic coordinates.
==Albedo== the moon also has rocks and caves These features are notable for their high albedo compared to the surrounding terrain.
| Name | Coordinates | Diameter | Name Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reiner Gamma | 7°30′N 59°00′W / 7.5°N 59.0°W | 70.0 km | After nearby crater Reiner |
Note: On the far side of the Moon there are unnamed albedo features on Mare Ingenii and Mare Marginis. These are located antipodal to the Mare Imbrium and Mare Orientale impact basins. The moon also has rocks on it's surface and underground caves
Contents |
[edit] Catena
A catena is a chain of craters.
[edit] Dorsa
These features are wrinkle-ridge systems commonly found on lunar maria.
[edit] Dorsum
These features are wrinkle ridges commonly found on lunar maria.
[edit] Promontorium
These features form a cape or headland on a mare.
| Name | Coordinates | Dia. | Name Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promontorium Agarum | 14°00′N 66°00′E / 14.0°N 66.0°E | 70 km | Named from a cape in the Sea of Azov |
| Promontorium Agassiz | 42°00′N 1°48′E / 42.0°N 1.8°E | 20 km | Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807-1873) |
| Promontorium Archerusia | 16°42′N 22°00′E / 16.7°N 22.0°E | 10 km | Named from a cape on the Black Sea |
| Promontorium Deville | 43°12′N 1°00′E / 43.2°N 1.0°E | 20 km | Charles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville (1814-1876) |
| Promontorium Fresnel | 29°00′N 4°42′E / 29.0°N 4.7°E | 20 km | Augustin Jean Fresnel (1788-1827) |
| Promontorium Heraclides | 40°18′N 33°12′W / 40.3°N 33.2°W | 50 km | Heraclides Ponticus |
| Promontorium Kelvin | 27°00′S 33°00′W / 27.0°S 33.0°W | 50 km | William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824-1907) |
| Promontorium Laplace | 46°00′N 25°48′W / 46.0°N 25.8°W | 50 km | Pierre Simon Laplace (1749-1827) |
| Promontorium Taenarium | 19°00′S 8°00′W / 19.0°S 8.0°W | 70 km | Named from cape in Greece[1] |
[edit] Rima
These features are lunar rilles.
[edit] Rimae
These features are lunar rille systems.
[edit] Rupes
These are escarpments in the surface.
| Name | Coordinates | Dia. | Name Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rupes Altai | 24°18′S 22°36′E / 24.3°S 22.6°E | 427.0 km | Altai Mountains |
| Rupes Boris | 30°30′N 33°30′W / 30.5°N 33.5°W | 4.0 km | Named from nearby crater Boris |
| Rupes Cauchy | 9°00′N 37°00′E / 9.0°N 37.0°E | 120.0 km | Named from nearby crater Cauchy |
| Rupes Kelvin | 27°18′S 33°06′W / 27.3°S 33.1°W | 78.0 km | Named from nearby Promontorium Kelvin |
| Rupes Liebig | 25°00′S 46°00′W / 25.0°S 46.0°W | 180.0 km | Named from nearby crater Liebig |
| Rupes Mercator | 31°00′S 22°18′W / 31.0°S 22.3°W | 93.0 km | Named from nearby crater Mercator |
| Rupes Recta | 22°06′S 7°48′W / 22.1°S 7.8°W | 134.0 km | Latin for "straight cliff"[2] |
| Rupes Toscanelli | 27°24′N 47°30′W / 27.4°N 47.5°W | 70.0 km | Named from nearby crater Toscanelli |
[edit] Terra
The continental areas between the seas were given comparable names by Giovanni Battista Riccioli,[3] but were opposite the names used for the seas. Thus there were the lands of sterility (Terra Sterilitatis), heat (Terra Caloris), and liveliness (Terra Vitae). However these names for the highland regions are no longer used on recent maps, and Terrae are not officially recognized as standard lunar nomenclature by the International Astronomical Union.[4]
| Name | Name Origin | Near side position |
|---|---|---|
| Insula Ventorum | Island of Winds | |
| Peninsula Fulminu | Peninsula of Thunder | Between Mare Humorum and Oceanus Procellarum.[5] |
| Terra Caloris | Land of Heat | Southwest rim of the near side.[5] |
| Terra Fertilitatis | Land of Fertility | Southeastern rim of the near side.[5] |
| Terra Grandinis | Land of Hail | Northeast border of Mare Imbrium.[5] |
| Terra Manna | Land of Manna | Region between Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris.[5] |
| Terra Niuiu (Terra Nivium) | Land of Snows | Southeast border of Mare Imbrium.[5] |
| Terra Pruinæ | Land of Frost | Northwest border of Mare Imbrium.[5] |
| Terra Sanitatis | Land of Healthiness | Central region between Mare Nubium and Mare Tranquillitatis.[5] |
| Terra Siccitatis | Land of Dryness | Northwest rim of the near side.[5] |
| Terra Sterilitatis | Land of Sterility | |
| Terra Vigoris | Land of Cheerfulness | Region southeast of Mare Crisium.[5] |
| Terra Vitæ | Land of Liveliness | Northeast rim of the near side.[5] |
[edit] See also
- List of craters on the Moon
- List of maria on the Moon
- List of mountains on the Moon
- List of valleys on the Moon
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Now Matapan or Tainaron
- ^ Traditionally called the "Straight Wall".
- ^ Wood, Chuck (April 18, 2006). "Restoring Bright Names". LPOD lunar photo of the day. http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060418. Retrieved 2006-12-02.
- ^ Blue, Jennifer (October 16, 2006). "Categories for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites.". USGS. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append6.html. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wood, Chuck (2006-07-13). "Restoring bright names". LPOD. http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060418. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
