Page 58 - BBC Sky at Night - September 2017 UK

58 SEPTEMBER
MOONWATCH
MONTES
APENNINUS
TYPE: Mountain Range
SIZE: 600km long,
150km wide
LONGITUDE/LATITUDE:
20.1ºW, 9.6ºN
AGE: 3.2-3.85 billion years
BEST TIME TO SEE: First
quarter (28-29 September)
or six days after full Moon
(12-13 September)
MINIMUM EQUIPMENT:
10x binoculars
There are many lunar mountain
ranges visible from Earth but
the sheer majesty of the lunar
Apennines takes some beating.
This 600km arc, bordering the
Mare Imbrium, contains the to Wolff, cutting the range in a
Moon’s highest peak – Mons northwest-southeast direction.
Huygens, rising to 5.5km. The
southern end of the range begins Mons Serao, cradling the 5km
Few lunar mountain
ranges are as famous
as the Apennines;
Apollo 15 set down
in this region, close
to Hadley Rille
MONS BRADLEY
MARE HUYGENS BETA
IMBRIUM
HUXLEY
MONS AMPERE
WALLACE
WALLACE C
MONS SERAO
MONS WOLFF
PETE LAWRENCE X 3 ERATOSTHENES
skyatnightmagazine.com 2017
THE SKY GUIDE
“Mons Huygens is the
highest lunar mountain,
N
but not the highest point”
crater Wallace C. The Apennine Huygens Beta. Immediately
arc continues northeast marked east of Mons Huygens is
by number of lumps and bumps, Huygens A, a 6km crater
but is interrupted by surprisingly named after the mountain.
few craters considering the age Although Mons Huygens is
of the range. Wallace D is the the highest mountain on the
only serious contender here, Moon, it is not the highest point.
although at 4km across it’s This seemingly contradictory
hardly a major intrusion. statement arises due to a region
The next major Apennine on the Moon’s far side, where
peak is 3km high Mons Ampere, the surface height deviates from
which juts out slightly into the the mean lunar radius by
just north of 60km-wide crater Mare Imbrium towards 3km 10.8km. This region is simply
Eratosthenes. The range curves Huxley, formerly Wallace B. To an elevated surface and not a
gently east, climbing to its first the east of Mons Ampere we see true mountain, so Mons
peak, Mons Wolff, at 3.5km the ridge of 5.5km-high Mons Huygens retains its title.
high. A deep valley runs adjacent Huygens. Its ridge runs for 28km An impressive set of jutting
from the southeast of Mons northwest facing slopes leads
Ampere, curving to the north the eye northeast towards 4.2km
Across the way sits the peak of where it partially juts out in a -high Mons Bradley. This is
region once referred to as easily recognised, lying 40km
west of the centre of 22km
crater Conon. Also look out for
PROMONOTORIUM the snake-like form of Rima
FRESNEL Conon 80km to the south.
MONS HADLEY The Apennines continue
northeast towards
RIMA HADLEY
MONS HADLEY DELTA Promonotorium Fresnel, a
HADLEY C transition between the
Apennine and Haemus
mountain ranges. Situated
between Promonotorium
Fresnel and Mons Bradley is the
Mons Hadley region. Here we
find an impressive set of peaks
CONON including 3.5km-high Mons
Hadley Delta, a distinctive
HUYGENS A mountain that formed part of
the dramatic backdrop to the
RIMA CONON Apollo 15 landing site.
MONS HUYGENS North of Mons Hadley Delta
is the imposing form of 4.2km
high Mons Hadley. This towers
MONS HADLEY over a flat lava plain to the
southwest, where Apollo 15
WALLACE D landed. The region is defined
by an amazing sinuous rille
RIMA HADLEY known as Rima Hadley. This is
visible in 8-inch or larger
HADLEY C APOLLO 15 instruments, snaking its way
across the lava field for a
distance of approximately
70km. The 6km crater Hadley
providing a navigational guide
C sits midway along the rille,
for identifying the area with
smaller telescopes.