The moon : $b a full description and map of its principal physical featuresElger, Thomas Gwyn
Science
The moon : $b a full description and map of its principal physical features
Elger, Thomas Gwyn
Moon
FRAUNHOFER.--A ring-plain, S. of Furnerius, about 30 miles in diameter,
with a regular border rising about 5000 feet above the floor. A smaller
ring-plain abuts on the N.E. side of it, which has slightly disturbed its
wall.
OKEN.--A large enclosure in S. lat. 43 deg. with broken irregular walls.
It is too near the limb for observation.
VEGA.--Schmidt represents this peculiar formation, situated S.E. of Oken,
as having a regular curved unbroken rampart on the E., while the opposite
border is occupied by four large partially overlapping ring-plains, two
of which contain small craters. The floor is devoid of detail.
PONTECOULANT.--A great irregular walled plain, about 100 miles in length,
near the S.W. limb, with a border rising in places to a height of 6000
feet above the floor.
HANNO.--A smaller and more regular enclosure, adjoining Pontecoulant on
the N.W., and still nearer the limb.
WEST LONGITUDE 60 deg. TO 40 deg.
MESSIER.--The more westerly of a remarkable pair of bright craters, about
9 miles in diameter, standing in an isolated position in the Mare
Foecunditatis just S. of the Equator. Madler represents them as similar
in every respect, but Webb, observing them in 1855 and 1856 with a 3 7/10
achromatic, found them very distinctly different,--Messier, the more
westerly, being not only clearly smaller than its companion, but longer
from W. to E. than from N. to S., as it undoubtedly is at the present
time. Messier A, however, as the companion is termed, though larger, is
certainly not circular, as sometimes shown, but triangular with curved
sides. It is just possible that change may have occurred here, for Madler
carefully observed these objects more than three hundred times, and, it
may be presumed, under very different phases. Messier A is the origin of
two slightly divergent light streaks, resembling a comet's tail, which
extend over the Mare towards its E. border N. of Lubbock, and are crossed
obliquely by a narrower streak. Messier and Messier A stand near the S.
and narrowest end of a tapering curved light area. There is a number of
craterlets and minute pits in the neighbourhood, and under a high light
two round dusky spots are traceable in connection with the "comet"
marking, one just beyond its northern, and the other beyond its southern
border, near its E. extremity.
LUBBOCK.--A brilliant little crater, about 4 or 5 miles in diameter, near
the E. coast-line of the Mare Foecunditatis. The region E. of this object
is particularly well worthy of scrutiny under a low sun, on account of
the variety of detail it includes. On the S.E. run three fine parallel
clefts, originating near the N. end of the Pyrenees.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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