The Astronomical League's Lunar Club

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Most names of moon features have a Latin connection. The following graphic illustration nomenclature is memory aid in learning features on the moon.

When documenting the moon objects, use the official Astronomical League forms. My hints for finding these objects are just that. They are not to be used as official documents for presentation to the AL.

The first eight objects of the first page and the entire last page of the Astronomical League form has some fun activities, like finding the man, woman, rabbit and cow jumping the moon etc. I did not list these activities in the Moonwalk.

Taking a Moonwalk

A quick telescopic tour, hitting just the highlights of the moon should include; The Alps and Alpine Valley, Strait Range, peaks Piton and Pico, Straight Wall with Crater Birt, rays from crater Tycho and Copernicus, the Altai Scarp, the Cobra Head close to Schroeder's Valley, the little bear of Mare Crisium, bright crater Aristarchus, comet crater Messier and other craters with common names including the Craters; Picard, Billy, Catharina, Mitchell, Davy, Linne and Walter and the Apollo landings. The very center of the moon is Sinus Medii. These features are underlined in the enclosed list.

Man has landed on the Moon only six times:

• Twice in Mare Tranquillitatis
• Twice at the intersection of Mare Nubium, Mare Humorum and Oceanus Procellarum
• Once in Mare Imbrium by the Apennines
• Once in the Southern Highlands West of Mare Nectaris

Take the first step in moonwalking, become familiar with larger features of the moon using binoculars. Finding smaller objects with the telescope becomes easier. Some of the largest binoculars Moon features are the Maria (or seas). These dark basaltic features are easy to see. As a visual memory aid, I have devised a segmented moon bug using these seas (see graphic).

Bugs need to store nectar and reproduce. The Southern end of my bug has two Mare, pronounced (Mar-ee) used for this purpose, Mare Nectaris (Sea of Nectar) and, Mare Fecunditatis (Sea of Fertility).

This moon bug has a giant supply of food and is about to take a huge bite out of the flower, Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms ). He is therefore satisfied, tranquil and serene. His body is composed of two segments Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquillity) and Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity).

He has nearly useless arms near the head, made of vapors and dreams, Mare Vaporum (Sea of Vapors) and Mare Somniorum (Sea of Dreams). An extension above the Sea of Dreams, makes a dead finger called, Lacus Mortis (Lake of the Dead).

The Crater Plato is his eye. His head is comprised of both light mountains and dark seas. The teeth and bony head structure are formed from a bright ring of mountains around Mare Imbrium. Montes Apenninus, the Montes Caucasus and the Montes Alpes and the ridge of mountains to the North, including Promontorium Laplace, the Jura Mountains and Promontorium Heraclides are included. The top of his head has a dark skullcap made from Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold).

My bug is about to bite a flower that has two petals full of moisture. The South end of Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms ) is supported by the petals Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds) and Mare Humorum (Sea of Moisture).

The Moon bug also carries a backpack for emergencies called Mare Crisium (Sea of Crisis).

Defining our Moon Bug has allowed us to document 17 different AL objects on the moon. Finding the other eighty-three using the bug and its surroundings should be easy.

THE LUNAR LIST

(15) Palus Somnii -East(Swamp of Dreams).

(21) Crater Cleomedes -North.

(25) Crater Macrobius North and West.

(62) Promontorium Agarum - Prominence on West edge.

(73) Crater Picard -inside-for the Star Trek fans.

(77) Crater Proclus between Palus Somnii and Mare Crisium.

(18) Crater Langrenus East edge.

(20) Petavius Wall South and East The crater Petavius has a wall close to the edge of the moon.

(76) Messier/Messier A - small craters inside the Comet Crater.

(19) Crater Vendelinus West by edge of moon (North of Petavius).

(26) Crater Piccolomini South.

(27) Crater Theophilus North East border of Mare Nectaris.

(28) Crater Cyrillus just South of Theophilus.

(29) Crater Catharina just South of Cyrillus.

(31) Crater Fracastorius South border of Mare Nectaris.

(68) Rupes Altai South and West scarps (cliffs) past Catharina and Polybius.

(74) Crater Furnerius South by edge of moon.

(75) Crater Petavius with Wall South West by the edge of moon

(78) Crater Fabricius South by edge of moon.

(83) Crater Gemma Frisius South and East, about way to South Pole.

Apollo 16 West in cratered area

(30) Crater Posidonius North West edge.

(33) Crater Eudoxus between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Frigoris.

(58) Lacus Mortis (Lake of the Dead) North of Lacus Somniorum.

(65) Mons Hadley (Mount Hadley)North East corner between Serenity and Imbrium

Crater Linne - a bright spot - inside Mare Serenity.

(79) Crater Plinius between Serenitatis and Tranquillitatis.

Apollo 11 South end

Apollo 17 North-East end

(69) Rima Hyginus South a rill or channel that runs from SE to NW into Sinus Aestuum.

(82) Crater Manilius West edge.

(34) Crater Cassini West end just North and West of Aristillus.

(81) Crater Cassini A, inside Crater Cassini

(37) Crater Aristillus just North of Autolycus

(38) Crater Autolycus just West of Archimedes

(40) Crater Plato Northern edge

(41) Crater Archimedes West end

(49) Crater Eratosthenes South East edge

(51) Crater Copernicus just East of Eratosthenes

(53) Crater Aristarchus East edge (bright)

(55) Crater Kepler just East of Copernicus sometimes lunar rays

(57) Sinus Aestuum (Seething Bay)South West South of Eratosthenes

(59) Palus Putredinis (Putrid Swamp)West edge behind Mt Bradley

(60 Promontorium Laplace North Eastern edge

(12) Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows)North between Prom. Laplace and Heraclides.

(61) Promontorium Heraclides across Sinus Iridium from Pro. Laplace

(63) Montes Alpes (Alps Mountains)West Mountain range

(71) Vallis Alpes, (Alpine Valley) West of Plato, connecting Mare Imbrium with Mare Frigoris

(64) Montes Apenninus (Apennine Mountains)South range outlines Mare Imbrium

(66) Mons Piton (Mount Piton)West end of Imbrium, just East of Cassini

(67) Mons Pico (Mount Pico) South of Plato, a sharp peak

Strait Range

Apollo 15 close to Mt Hadley and Autolycus.

(14) Sinus Roris (Bay of Dew) East end of Figoris above Sinus Iridium

(22) Crater Atlas West end

(23) Crater Hercules just East of Atlas

(24) Crater Endymion North of Atlas

(32) Crater Aristoteles just North of Eudoxus on South edge of Mare Frigoris

(80) Crater Mitchell on edge of Aristoteles

(90) Crater Herschel, J. North East end above Mare Frigoris

(42) Crater Ptolemaeus South West edge

(43) Crater Alphonsus just South of Ptolemaeus

(56) Crater Grimaldi East near edge of moon

(70) Vallis Schroteri (Valley)West of Aristarchus, a cobra shaped rill.

(86) Crater Billy South edge North and East of Gassendi

(92) Reiner Gamma West Crater with a diamond shaped white spot West of crater.

(16) Palus Epidemiarum (Swamp of Epidemics)South East edge

(35) Crater Hipparchus North of Albategnius

(36) Crater Albategnius West of Davy, past Ptolemaeus

(44) Crater Arzachel just South of Alphonsus West edge

(45) Crater Walter just South and East of Straight Wall

(52) Crater Bullialdus inside East

(72) Rupes Recta (Straight Wall) South West edge Crater Birt to East

(84) Crater Davy West edge

(85) Crater Pitatus South edge

(87) Crater Fra Mauro middle small crater just South of Copernicus

Apollo 14 intersection of Mare Nubium, Humorum and Oceanus Procellarum

Apollo 12 same

(54) Crater Gassendi North, large and look for TSP

(89) Crater Hippalus a squashed crater on the East edge.

(91) Crater Schickard South, near edge of moon.

(11) Lunar Rays

(39) Crater Maurolycus straight East less than way to edge of moon

(46) Crater Maginus just South and West of Tycho

(48) Crater Clavius just South of Maginus

(50) Crater Longomontanus just South and East of Tycho

(88) Clavius craterlets Longomontanus just South and East of Tycho

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