lunar notebook

Introducing the Lunar 100

Let this Moon observer's hit list guide your telescopic explorations of
Earth's nearest neighbor. \ By Charles A. Wood

UST ABOUT EVEKY TELESCOPE USER

is familiar with French comet

hunter Charles Messier's catalog
of fuzzy objects. Messier's 18thcentury listing of iO9 galaxies, clusters,
and nehuiae contains some ofthe largest,
brightest, and most visually interesting
deep-sky treasures visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Little wonder that observing all the M objects is regarded as a
virtual rite of passage for amateur astronomers.
But the night sky offers an object that
is larger, brighter, and more visually captivating than anything on Messier's list:
the Moon. Yet many backyard astronomers never go beyond the astro-tourist
stage to acquire the knowledge and understanding necessary to really appreciate what they're looking at, and how
magnificent and amazing it truly is. Perhaps this is because after they identify a
tew of the Moon's most conspicuous features, many amateurs don't know where
to look next.
The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to
provide Moon lovers with something
akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy
with the Messier catalog: a selection of
telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. Presented here is a
selection of the Moon's 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains,
rilles, and domes. I challenge observers
to find and observe them al! and, more
important, to consider what each feature
tells us about lunar and Earth history.

Anatomy ofthe Lunar 100

Objects in the Lunar 100 are arranged
from the easiest to view to the most difficult. This is more systematic than the
haphazard approach that produced the
Messier list. Indeed, just by knowing a
feature's Lunar 100 number, you have
some idea of how easy or challenging it

will be to see. For example, the Moon itself is Ll, while L2 is earthshine and L3
is the light/dark dichotomy between lunar highlands and maria ("seas"). I'd be
surprised if anyone reading this couldn't
tick those off the list right now. Highernumbered objects are smaller, less conspicuous, or positioned closer to the limb,
making them more challenging to locate
and view.
The Messier objects are scattered all
over the sky, but all are theoreticallv oh-

servable during marathon nights in

March and April every year. By contrast,
the Lunar 100 are concentrated in just
'/: of sky, yet they can't all be seen in a
single night, or even in a single month.
Some lunar sights can be observed only
with grazing solar illumination, while
others are albedo features that require
full-Moon conditions to be seen. And
others are positioned near {or sometimes
even over) the limb of the Moon, requiring a very favorable libration to bring
them into view. I don't know how quickly all 100 can be observed, but I'm sure
that some competitive amateur will complete it faster than I dare guess!

Many Lunar 100 selections are plainly visible in this view of the full Moon, while others require
a more detailed view, different illumination, or favorable libration. North is up in this and all
other images, unless otherwise noted.
Sky & Telescope | April 2004

113

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How big a telescope do you need to

view the Lunar 100? The smallest features listed arc 3 kilometers in diameter
and thus nominally visible in 3-inch (76millimeter) telescopes employing magnifications of about 150x to 200x. And
many can be found with smaller scopes
at lower power. But a few Lunar 100 objects such as narrow rilles are best
seen with 6- or 8-inch telescopes used at
high power. The goal, however, is not
just to find the objects, but to under-

stand what they tell us abut the Moon.

Any selection of lunar features is
bound to lead to many difficult judgments, and Tm sure that at least a fev^' of
my choices and rankings will generate
considerable debate. Some of my choices
were obvious, some were not. Some were
influenced by my personal sense of what
crater appears more dramatic than another, or which rille best demonstrates
an aspect of the Moon's evolution. Aesthetics aside, my choices were principally

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Visible here are Mare Australe {L56), the Rheita Valley (L58}, and rilles in the crater Janssen (L40).
114

April 2004 I Sky&Telescope

governed hy a desire to include features

that tel! us something important or interesting about the Moon itself.

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Exploring and Understanding
Ohserving all 100 features (and understanding the geological significance of
each one) constitutes a short course in
lunar science. Here are some examples of
how our modern understanding of the
Moon is illustrated by particular objects:
Craters of different sizes result from
meteor and comet impacts of different
energies. Small craters such as Mosting
A (L61) have simple shapes, with steep,
smooth walls leading to small, flat floors.
Such craters look as if they were massproduced on a lathe. With higher-energy
impacts, the wall rocks collapse toward the
crater's center, creating irregular slumps
and jumhles of material on the wall and
floor. Compression of the rocks directly
under the impact energizes them into responding like a splash of water, with rocks
from below the surface rebounding to
make a small central peak.
As the energy of an impact event increases (due to a larger-mass or highervelocity projectile), the surrounding rocks
collapse more uniformly along a series
of circular faults, downdropping massive
terraces toward the crater's floor. The
central rebound is more intense and produces complex mountains composed of
rocks from deep below the surface. The
archetypal example is Copernicus (L5),
but most relatively fresh craters larger
than about 35 km have this morphology.
In the early 1960s, dozens of depressions bigger than normal impact craters
and featuring concentric and radial structures were first recognized. These are the
impact basins. The arcuate Apennine
(1-4) and Altai (L7) mountains are simply
the rims of the Imbrium and Nectaris
impact basins. And the line of tall peaks
near the south pole (the Leibnitz Mountains, L96) is the rim of a huge far-side
basin. The Alpine Valley (LI9) and Rheita
Valley (L58) are the most prominent of a
series of radial fractures and secondary
crater chains found around most basins.
Tbe great diameters and depths of impact basins make it clear tbat vast
amounts of excavated lunar material
must bave been strewn across tbe surface of tbe Moon. Ihis explains why
many craters close to basin rims are intensely battered and buried. Look near
the ruined craters Boscovich and Julius
Caesar (L63) close to the center of the

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The crater Triesnecker and its rilles (L35) and

the relatively conspicuous Hyginus rille (L24).

Located on the southeastern shore of Mare

Humorum are the ruined crater Hippalus and
its associated rilles ( LS4).

Moon's face and I. Herschel, Babbage,

and W. Bond (L76} near the north pole.
All were instantly degraded when ejecta
from the Inibrium impact surged over
them 3.84 billion years ago. The Apollo 14
astronauts landed in the Fra Mauro region
(L67) specifically to collect ejecta from
the Imbrium impact. Ejecta from smaller
craters made the glorious rays of Tycho
(L6), the bright nimbus surrounding
Linne (L82), and the pit-peppered surface
clearly visible east of Copernicus (L3).
Fractures created by basin-forming im-

pacts provided conduits for magmas to

rise to the surface and fill deep basins.

The weight of the lavas caused the basin

floors to subside, with the greatest
amount of bending occurring near the
edges, forming concentric rilles such as
those near the crater Hippalus (L54) on
the rim of the Humorum basin. Some of
the lava flows folded as a result of compression, producing mare ridges like the
Serpentine Ridge (L33) in Mare Serenitatis.
Lavas erupted over hundreds of millions of years in some basins, and their

chemical compositions varied through

time. Multispectral imaging is usually required to identity lava flows of different
compositions and ages, but the dark collar around southeastern Serenitatis (L18)
is easily visible in a telescope. The faint
rilles hugging the southern shore of
Serenitatis occur only in this dark annulus
of lava. High-resolution spacecraft photos show that this older material tilted
toward the center of the basin before the
younger, lighter-hued flows erupted onto
the surface.

Feature name

Significance

Latitude p)

Longitude { ' )

Diameter (km)

Moon

Large satellite

3,476

Earthshine

Twice reflected sunlight

Mare/highland dichotomy

Two materials with distinct compositions

Apennines

Imbfium basin rim

18.9N

3.7W

400

Copernicus

Archetypal large complex crater

9.7N

20.1W

93

31

Tycho

Large rayed crater with impact melts

43.4S

11.1W

102

64

Altai Scatp

Nectaris basin rim

24.3S

22.6E

425

57

Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina

Crater sequence illustrating stages of degradation

13.2S

24.0E

no

46,57

Clavius

Lacks basin features in spite of its size

58.8S

14.1W

245

72

10

Mare Crisium

Mare contained in large circular basin

18.0N

59.0E

26,27,37,38

11

Ari^archus

Very bright crater with dark bands on its walls

23.7N

A7AW

12

Proclus

Oblique-impact rays

16.1 N

46.8E

540
40
28

52

18

13

Gassendi

Floor-fractured crater

17.6S

40.1 W

101

Sinus Iridum

Very large crater with missing rim

45.0N

32.0W

260

10

15

Straight Wall

Best example of a lunar fault

21.8S

7.8W

130

54

16

Petavius

Crater with domed and fractured floor

25.1S

60.4E

188

17

Schroter's Valley

Giant sinuous rille

26.2N

50.8W

168

18

Mare Serenitatis dark edges

Distinct mare areas with different compositions

17.8N

23.0E

N/A

24

Alpine Valley

Lunar graben

49.0N

3.0E

165

Posidonius

Floor-fraaured crater

31.8N

29.9E

95

14

Fracastorius

Crater with subsided and fractured floor

21,SS

33,2E

112

58

Aristarchus Plateau

Mysterious uplifted region mantled with pyroclastics

26.0N

5 LOW

18

23

Pico

Isolated Imbrium basin-ring fragment

45.7N

8.9W

24
25

Hyginus Rille

Rille containing rimless collapse pits

7.4N

7.8E

150
25
220

Messier and Messier A

Oblique ricochet-impact pair

1.9S

47.6E

W^
27

Mare Frigoris

Arcuate mare of uncertain origin

56.0N

1.4E

Archimedes

Large crater lacking central peak

29.7N

4.0W

83

12,22

Hipparchus

Subject of first drawing of a single crater

5.SS

4.8E

44,45

Aridaeus Rille

Long, linear graben

6.4N

14,0E

Schiller

Possible oblique impact

51.9S

39.0W

150
250
180

28
29

|30
31

11
1,600

34

71

Young floor-fractured crater

5.6N

46.5 E

56

37

Volcanic domes

6.2N

21.4E

26

35

Serpentine Ridge

Basin inner-ring segment

27.3N

25.3E

155

24

Lacus Mortis

Strange crater with rille and ridge

4S.0N

27.2E

35

Triesnecker Rilles

fiille family

4,3N

4.6E

33

36

Grimaldi basin

A small two-ring basin

5.5S

68.3W

152
215
410

37

Bailly

Barely discernible basin

66.SS

69.1W

303

71

38

Sabine and Ritter

Possible t w i n impacts

1.7N

19.7E

30

35

39

5chickafd

Crater floor with Orientale basin ejecta stripe

44.3 S

55.3W

206

62

40

Janssen Rille

Rare example of a highland rille

45.4S

39.3E

199

67,68

"34

11

Taruntius

33

34
48
2-6

Arago Alpha and Beta

32

uo
o

26

14

|22

fD

22

21

RukI chart*

19

The Lunar 100

,18

C
3
at

14
39

41

Bessel ray

Ray of uncertain origin near Bessel

21,8N

17.9E

N/A

24

42

Marius Hills

Complex of volcanic domes and hills

12.5N

S4.0W

125

28,29

43

Wargentin

A crater filled to the rim with lava or ejecta

49,6S

60,2Vi/

84

70

" Chart numbers refer to Anionin Riikl's Atlas of the Moon

Sky & Telescope , April 2004

117

The Lunar 100 (continued)

Feature name

Significance

Latitude {)

Longitude {)

(V

44

Mersenius

Domed floor cut by secondary craters

21.5S

49.2W

84

o
c

45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55

Maurolycus

Region of saturation cratering

42.0S

14.0E
0.6W

114
108
119
130
20

Regiomontanus central peak

Possible volcanic peak

28.0S

Alphonsus dark spots

Dark-halo eruptions on crater floor

13.7S

3.2W

Cauchy region

Fault, rilies, and domes

10.5N

38.0E

Gruithuisen Delta and Gamma

Volcanic domes formed with viscous iavas

36.3N

40.0W

Cayley Plains

Light, smooth plains of uncertain origin

4.0N

15.1E

14

Davy crater chain

Result of comet-fragment impacts

ll.lS

6.6W

Cruger

Possible volcanic caldera

16.7S

66.8W

Lamont

Possible buried basin

4.4N

23.7E

Hippalus Rilles

Rilles concentric to Humorum basin

24.5S

29.0W

Baco

Unusually smooth crater floor and surrounding plains

51.OS

19.1E

49,8S

84.5E

34
45
106
240
69
132
70
445
335
45
13
70

56

Mare Australe

A partially flooded ancient basin

57

Reiner Gamma

Conspicuous swirl and magnetic anomaly

7.7N

59.2W

58

Rheita Valley

Basin secondary-crater chain

42.5S

51 5E

59

Schiller-Zucchius basin

Badly degraded overlooked basin

56.0S

45.0W

60

Kies Pi

Volcanic dome

26.9S

24.2W

61

Mbsting A

Simple crater close to center of lunar near side

3.2S

5.2W

62

Rumker Hills

Large voicanic dome

40.8N

58.1W

63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72

Imbrium sculpture

Basin ejecta near and overiying Boscovich and Julius Caesar

11.ON

12.0E

Descartes

Apollo 16 landing site; putative region of highland volcanism

11.7S

15.7E

Hortensius domes

Dome field north of Hortensius

7.6N

27.9W

Hadley Rille

Lava channel near Apollo 15 landing site

25.0N

3.0E

Fra Mauro formation

Apollo 14 landing site on Imbrium ejecta

3.6S

17.5W

73
74

75
76
77
78
79
80

81

Flamsteed P

Proposed young volcanic crater; Surveyor 1 landing site

3.0S

44.0W

Copernicus secondary craters

Rays and craterlets near Pytheas

19.6N

19.1W

Humboldtianum basin

Multi-ring impact basin

57.ON

80.0E

Sulpicius Gallus dark mantle

Ash eruptions northwest of crater

19.6N

11.6E

Atlas dark-halo craters

Explosive volcanic pits on the floor of Atlas

46,7N

44.4E

Smythii basin

Difficult-to-observe basin scarp and mare

2.0S

87.0E

Copernicus H

Dark-halo impact crater

6.9N

18.3W

Ptolemaeus B

Sauceriike depression on the fioor of Ptoiemaeus

8.0S

0.8W

W, Bond

Large crater degraded by Imbrium ejecta

65.3N

3.7E

Sirsaiis Riile

Procellarum basin radial rilles

15.7S

61.7W

Lambert R

A buried "ghost" crater

23.8N

Sinus Aestuum

Eastern dark-mantle volcanic deposit

12,0N

Orientale basin

Youngest large impact basin

19.0S

95,OVI/

Hesiodus A

Concentric crater

30.1 S

17.0W

82

Linne

Smaii crater once thought to have disappeared

27,7N

n.8E

83

Plato craterlets

Crater pits at limits of detection

51.6N

9.4W

84

Pitatus

Crater with concentric rilles

29.8S

13.5W

85

Langrenus rays

Aged ray system

8.9S

60.9E

86

Prinz Rilles

Rilie system near the crater Prinz

27.0N

43.0W

87

Humboidt

Crater with central peaks and dark spots

27.OS

Difficult-to-observe polar crater

88.6N

Valentine Dome

Volcanic dome

30.5N
1.3N

237E

25.9S

50.7W

88

Peary

10

4
650
12
87

74
76

28
68
70,71

53
43
8
34
45
30
22
42
40
20
7

23
15

54

3.5W

20
33
50
54
3,4

80.9E

90
930
15
2.4
109
97
132
46
189

95.3E

104

4,11

lO.lE

13
35
51
44
35

90

Armstrong, Aldrin, and Coiiins

DeGasparis Rilles

Area with many rilles

92

Gylden Valley

Part of the Imbrium radial sculpture

5.1S

0.7E

93
94

Dionysius rays

Unusual and rare dark rays

2.8N

17,3E

Drygalski

Large south-pole region crater

79.3S

84,9W

95
96
97

Procellarum basin

The Moon's biggest basin?

23.0N

15.0W

3,200

Leibnitz Mountains

Rim of South Pole-Aitken basin

85.0S

30,0F

Inghirami Valley

Orientale basin ejecta

44.0S

73.0Ur

98

Imbrium lava flows

Mare lava-flow boundaries

32,8N

22.0W

99

Ina caldera

D-shaped young volcanic caldera

18.6N

5.3E

Possible magnetic-field deposits

18.5N

88.0E

140

April 2004 | Sky&Telescope

52,53

20.6W

91

' Chart numbers refer to Antonin ROkl's Atlas ofthe Moon.

51
66
55
44
36
9
34
43
50
35

38,49

Small craters near the Apollo 11 ianding site

100 Mare Marginis swirls

RukI chart*

740
5
164
158
425

30
3
30
47
18
149

89

118

Diameter (km)

31
44
4
39,50

23
54

49
19
60

72, VI

73, V

61
10
22
27,111

:3

Mare lava seeped under and into craters

along mare shores. The rising magniii lifted and tilted crater floors, creating concentric cracks and rilles and often leaking
onto the surface. Gassendi (L13), Posidonius (L20), and Taruntius (L31) are all
variations of this floor-fracturing process.
Other craters, mostly on the floors of
basins, were deeply filled by mare lavas
that rose up through crater fractures
produced by the crater-forming impact.
Thus, deep pools of solidified lavas conceal the cenlnil peak of Archimedes (L27).
Lunar lavas were much less viscous

than those on Earth and consequently

flowed much greater distances. Most
lunar Java flows were not very deep, and
their edges became feathered by subsequent small-scale impact cratering. However, with low-angle solar illumination,
keen-eyed observers may spot the edges
ot the hundred-kilonieter-iong lava flows
(L981 passing into Imbrium from vents
near the I.a Hire mountains.
Svi/iftly moving lavas flowing downhill
from small volcanic craters also produced
snakelike channels. The Apollo 13 landing
site was selected partly to study the sinu-

The floor-fractured crater Gassendi {113).

North is to the upper left.
Sky & Telescope | April 2004

119

Arizona
Deep Skies &
Deserts

Above: Plato and its craterlets (L83).

Right:lhe Valentine Dome (L89).
Below: Sinus Iridum {L14), the "Bay of Rainbows."

destinations in the world,

including Kitt Peak National
Observatory, the Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory,
and the US Geological Survey's
Astrogeology Branch, as well as
magnificent Barringer Meteor
Crater and Whipple and Lowell
observatories. We'll aiso enjoy
specially arranged stargaa
sessions under the dark, t
Space is limited for
these astrotiomical
adveritures
make your
reservation today!
Call toll free 800-830-1998 or visit
www.tq-international.com

www.tq-ifitemational.com

120

April 2004 \ Sky&Telescope

ous Hadley Rille (L66). Numerous barely

visible sinuous rilles (L86) also cascade
downslope north of the crater Prinz..
Lavas that erupted slowly onto the lunar
surface cooled sufficiently to solidify before
they could flow very far. These slow tlows
formed circular mounds or domes. For
reasons we do not understand, domes did
not form in all lunar maria but are concentrated in certain areas. Subtle crater-topped
domes are visible at low-angle illumination near the craters Hortensius (L65) and
Arago (L32). And a field of hundreds of
pronounced domes and small hills is con-

centrated west of the crater Marius (L42).

I invite you to use the Lunar 100 to
guide your explorations of the Moon.
The complete list appears on pages 115
and 116. Forthcoming columns will provide detailed descriptions of each feature
listed in the Lunar 100.
The Moon awaits!
CHARLES A. W O O D (S a dedicated

planetary

scientist and lunar expiorer. He has a new

Web site (www.observingthesky.org) and a new
book The Modern Moon: A Personal View,
now available from Sky Publishing.