Wilmslow Astro

Astronomy from a Cheshire suburb

Lunar 100

The "Lunar 100" was described by Charles<Chuck> Wood in a Sky & Telescope article in the April 2004 edition. The Lunar 100 list of Lunar features attempts to show you a diverse range of objects that can be observed, they are not necessarily the most conspicuous or showy features. Chuck has attempted to arrange the objects in an order of easiest to the most difficult to observer. The table below describes each object and has links to images of the ones which I have managed to capture.

This is a brand new page as of 19th June 2006 and is still very much under construction.
I'm still coding the page and sorting existing images for posting, then I'll start an L100 imaging program.


L1-20    L21-40    L41-60    L61-80    L81-100

L100 Map

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L Image List Feature Name Significance Lat.
(°)
Long.
(°)
Diam.(km) Rükl Chart
1 1 2 3  Moon Large satellite 3,476
2   Earthshine Twice reflected sunlight
3   Mare/highland dichotomy Two materials with distinct compositions
4   Apennines Imbrium basin rim 18.9N 3.7W 70 22
5   Copernicus Archetypal large complex crater 9.7N 20.1W 93 31
6   Tycho Large rayed crater with impact melts 43.4S 11.1W 85 64
7 1 Altai Scarp Nectaris basin rim 24.3S 22.6E 425 57
8 1 Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina Crater sequence illustrating stages of degradation 13.2S 24.0E 46, 57
9   Clavius Lacks basin features in spite of its size 58.8S 14.1W 225 72
10   Mare Crisium Mare contained in large circular basin 18.0N 59.0E 540 26, 27, 37, 38
11 1 2 Aristarchus Very bright crater with dark bands on its walls 23.7N 47.4W 40 18
12   Proclus Oblique-impact rays 16.1N 46.8E 28 26
13 1 Gassendi Floor-fractured crater 17.6S 40.1W 101 52
14   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 110 54
16 1 Petavius Crater with domed & fractured floor 25.1S 60.4E 177 59
17 1 1 Schröter's Valley Giant sinuous rille 26.2N 50.8W 168 18
18 1 Mare Serenitatis dark edges Distinct mare areas with different compositions 17.8N 23.0E N/A 24
19   Alpine Valley Lunar graben 49.0N 3.0E 165 4
20   Posidonius Floor-fractured crater 31.8N 29.9E 95 14
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L Image List Feature Name Significance Lat.
(°)
Long. (°) Diam. (km) Rükl Chart
21   Fracastorius Crater with subsided & fractured floor 21.5S 33.2E 124 58
22 1 Aristarchus Plateau Mysterious uplifted region mantled with pyroclastics 26.0N 51.0W 150 18
23   Pico Isolated Imbrium basin-ring fragment 45.7N 8.9W 25 11
24   Hyginus Rille Rille containing rimless collapse pits 7.4N 7.8E 220 34
25   Messier & Messier A Oblique ricochet-impact pair 1.9S 47.6E 11 48
26   Mare Frigoris Arcuate mare of uncertain origin 56.0N 1.4E 1600 2–6
27   Archimedes Large crater lacking central peak 29.7N 4.0W 83 12, 22
28   Hipparchus First drawing of a single crater 5.5S 4.8E 150 44, 45
29   Aridaeus Rille Long, linear graben 6.4N 14.0E 250 34
30   Schiller Possible oblique impact 51.9S 39.0W 180 71
31   Taruntius Young floor-fractured crater 5.6N 46.5E 56 37
32   Arago Alpha & Beta Volcanic domes 6.2N 21.4E 26 35
33   Serpentine Ridge Basin inner-ring segment 27.3N 25.3E 155 24
34   Lacus Mortis Strange crater with rille & ridge 45.0N 27.2E 152 14
35   Triesnecker Rilles Rille family 4.3N 4.6E 215 33
36   Grimaldi basin A small two-ring basin 5.5S 68.3W 440 39
37   Bailly Barely discernible basin 66.5S 69.1W 303 71
38   Sabine & Ritter Possible twin impacts 1.7N 19.7E 30 35
39 1 Schickard Crater floor with Orientale basin ejecta stripe 44.3S 55.3W 227 62
40 1 Janssen Rille Rare example of a highland rille 45.4S 39.3E 190 67, 68
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L Image List Feature Name Significance Lat.
(°)
Long.
(°)
Diam. (km) Rükl Chart
41 Bessel ray Ray of uncertain origin near Bessel 21.8N 17.9E N/A 24
42   Marius Hills Complex of volcanic domes & hills 12.5N 54.0W 125 28, 29
43 1 Wargentin A crater filled to the rim with lava or ejecta 49.6S 60.2W 84 70
44   Mersenius Domed floor cut by secondary craters 21.5S 49.2W 84 51
45   Maurolycus Region of saturation cratering 42.0S 14.0E 114 66
46   Regiomontanus central peak Possible volcanic peak 28.0S 0.6W 124 55
47   Alphonsus dark spots Dark-halo eruptions on crater floor 13.7S 3.2W 119 44
48   Cauchy region Fault, rilles, & domes 10.5N 38.0E 130 36
49   Gruithuisen Delta & Gamma Volcanic domes formed with viscous lavas 36.3N 40.0W 20 9
50   Cayley Plains Light, smooth plains of uncertain origin 4.0N 15.1E 14 34
51   Davy crater chain Result of comet-fragment impacts 11.1S 6.6W 50 43
52   Crüger Possible volcanic caldera 16.7S 66.8W 45 50
53   Lamont Possible buried basin 4.4N 23.7E 106 35
54 1 Hippalus Rilles Rilles concentric to Humorum basin 24.5S 29.0W 240 52, 53
55   Baco Unusually smooth crater floor & surrounding plains 51.0S 19.1E 69 74
56   Australe basin A partially flooded ancient basin 49.8S 84.5E 880 76
57   Reiner Gamma Conspicuous swirl & magnetic anomaly 7.7N 59.2W 70 28
58 1 Rheita Valley Basin secondary-crater chain 42.5S 51.5E 445 68
59   Schiller-Zucchius basin Badly degraded overlooked basin 56.0S 45.0W 335 70, 71
60   Kies Pi Volcanic dome 26.9S 24.2W 45 53
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L Image List Feature Name Significance Lat.
(°)
Long.
(°)
Diam. (km) Rükl Chart
61   Mösting A Simple crater close to center of lunar near side 3.2S 5.2W 13 43
62   Rümker Large volcanic dome 40.8N 58.1W 70 8
63   Imbrium sculpture Basin ejecta near & overlying Boscovich & Julius Caesar 11.0N 12.0E 34
64   Descartes Apollo 16 landing site; putative region of highland volcanism 11.7S 15.7E 48 45
65   Hortensius domes Dome field north of Hortensius 7.6N 27.9W 10 30
66   Hadley Rille Lava channel near Apollo 15 landing site 25.0N 3.0E 22
67   Fra Mauro formation Apollo 14 landing site on Imbrium ejecta 3.6S 17.5W 42
68   Flamsteed P Proposed young volcanic crater & Surveyor 1 landing site 3.0S 44.0W 112 40
69   Copernicus secondary craters Rays & craterlets near Pytheas 19.6N 19.1W 4 20
70   Humboldtianum basin Multi-ring impact basin 57.0N 80.0E 650 7
71   Sulpicius Gallus dark mantle Ash eruptions northwest of crater 19.6N 11.6E 12 23
72   Atlas dark-halo craters Explosive volcanic pits on the floor of Atlas 46.7N 44.4E 87 15
73 1 Smythii basin Difficult-to-observe basin scarp & mare 2.0S 87.0E 740 38, 49
74   Copernicus H Dark-halo impact crater 6.9N 18.3W 5 31
75   Ptolemaeus B Saucerlike depression on the floor of Ptolemaeus 8.0S 0.8W 16 44
76   W. Bond Large crater degraded by Imbrium ejecta 65.3N 3.7E 158 4
77   Sirsalis Rille Procellarum basin radial rilles 15.7S 61.7W 425 39, 50
78   Lambert R A buried "ghost" crater 23.8N 20.6W 54 20
79   Sinus Aestuum Eastern dark-mantle volcanic deposit 12.0N 3.5W 90 33
80   Orientale basin Youngest large impact basin 19.0S 95.0W 930 50
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L Image List Feature Name Significance Lat.
(°)
Long.
(°)
Diam. (km) Rükl Chart
81   Hesiodus A Concentric crater 30.1S 17.0W 15 54
82   Linné Small crater once thought to have disappeared 27.7N 11.8E 2.4 23
83   Plato craterlets Crater pits at limits of detection 51.6N 9.4W 101 3, 4
84   Pitatus Crater with concentric rilles 29.8S 13.5W 97 54
85   Langrenus rays Aged ray system 8.9S 60.9E 132 49
86 1 Prinz Rilles Rille system near the crater Prinz 27.0N 43.0W 46 19
87   Humboldt Crater with central peaks & dark spots 27.0S 80.9E 207 60
88   Peary Difficult-to-observe polar crater 88.6N 33.0E 74 4, II
89   Valentine Dome Volcanic dome 30.5N 10.1E 30 13
90   Armstrong, Aldrin & Collins Small craters near the Apollo 11 landing site 1.3N 23.7E 3 35
91   De Gasparis Rilles Area with many rilles 25.9S 50.7W 30 51
92   Gylden Valley Part of the Imbrium radial sculpture 5.1S 0.7E 47 44
93   Dionysius rays Unusual & rare dark rays 2.8N 17.3E 18 35
94   Drygalski Large south-pole region crater 79.3S 84.9W 162 72, VI
95   Procellarum basin The Moon's biggest basin? 23.0N 15.0W 3200
96   Leibnitz Mountains Rim of South Pole-Aitken basin 85.0S 30.0E 73, V
97   Inghirami Valley Orientale basin ejecta 44.0S 73.0W 140 61
98   Imbrium lava flows Mare lava-flow boundaries 32.8N 22.0W 10
99   Ina D-shaped young volcanic caldera 18.6N 5.3E 3 22
100   Mare Marginis swirls Possible magnetic field deposits 18.5N 88.0E 27, III
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L4 Apennines
Imbrium basin rimL5 Copernicus
Archetypal large complex craterL6 Tycho
Large rayed crater with impact meltsL7 Altai Scarp
Nectaris basin rimL8 Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina
Crater sequence illustrating stages of degradationL9 Clavius
Lacks basin features in spite of its sizeL10 Mare Crisium
Mare contained in large circular basinL11 Aristarchus
Very bright crater with dark bands on its wallsL12 Proclus
Oblique-impact raysL13 Gassendi
Floor-fractured craterL14 Sinus Iridum
Very large crater with missing rimL15 Straight Wall
Best example of a lunar faultL16 Petavius
Crater with domed & fractured floorL17 Schröter's Valley
Giant sinuous rilleL18 Mare Serenitatis dark edges
Distinct mare areas with different compositionsL19 Alpine Valley
Lunar grabenL20 Posidonius
Floor-fractured craterL21 Fracastorius
Crater with subsided & fractured floorL22 Aristarchus Plateau
Mysterious uplifted region mantled with pyroclasticsL23 Pico
Isolated Imbrium basin-ring fragmentL24 Hyginus Rille
Rille containing rimless collapse pitsL25 Messier & Messier A
Oblique ricochet-impact pairL26 Mare Frigoris
Arcuate mare of uncertain originL27 Archimedes
Large crater lacking central peakL28 Hipparchus
First drawing of a single craterL29 Aridaeus Rille
Long, linear grabenL30 Schiller
Possible oblique impactL31 Taruntius
Young floor-fractured craterL32 Arago Alpha & Beta
Volcanic domesL33 Serpentine Ridge
Basin inner-ring segmentL34 Lacus Mortis
Strange crater with rille & ridgeL35 Triesnecker Rilles
Rille familyL36 Grimaldi basin
A small two-ring basinL37 Bailly
Barely discernible basinL38 Sabine & Ritter
Possible twin impactsL39 Schickard
Crater floor with Orientale basin ejecta stripeL40 Janssen Rille
Rare example of a highland rilleL41 Bessel ray
Ray of uncertain origin near BesselL42 Marius Hills
Complex of volcanic domes & hillsL43 Wargentin
A crater filled to the rim with lava or ejectaL44 Mersenius
Domed floor cut by secondary cratersL45 Maurolycus
Region of saturation crateringL46 Regiomontanus central peak
Possible volcanic peakL47 Alphonsus dark spots
Dark-halo eruptions on crater floorL48 Cauchy region
Fault, rilles, & domesL49 Gruithuisen Delta & Gamma
Volcanic domes formed with viscous lavasL50 Cayley Plains
Light, smooth plains of uncertain originL51 Davy crater chain
Result of comet-fragment impactsL52 Crüger
Possible volcanic calderaL53 Lamont
Possible buried basinL54 Hippalus Rilles
Rilles concentric to Humorum basinL55 Baco
Unusually smooth crater floor & surrounding plainsL56 Australe basin
A partially flooded ancient basinL57 Reiner Gamma
Conspicuous swirl & magnetic anomalyL58 Rheita Valley
Basin secondary-crater chainL59 Schiller-Zucchius basin
Badly degraded overlooked basinL60 Kies Pi
Volcanic domeL61 Mösting A
Simple crater close to center of lunar near sideL62 Rümker
Large volcanic domeL63 Imbrium sculpture
Basin ejecta near & overlying Boscovich & Julius CaesarL64 Descartes
Apollo 16 landing site; putative region of highland volcanismL65 Hortensius domes
Dome field north of HortensiusL66 Hadley Rille
Lava channel near Apollo 15 landing siteL67 Fra Mauro formation
Apollo 14 landing site on Imbrium ejectaL68 Flamsteed P
Proposed young volcanic crater & Surveyor 1 landing siteL69 Copernicus secondary craters
Rays & craterlets near PytheasL70 Humboldtianum basin
Multi-ring impact basinL71 Sulpicius Gallus dark mantle
Ash eruptions northwest of craterL72 Atlas dark-halo craters
Explosive volcanic pits on the floor of AtlasL73 Smythii basin
Difficult-to-observe basin scarp & mareL74 Copernicus H
Dark-halo impact craterL75 Ptolemaeus B
Saucerlike depression on the floor of PtolemaeusL76 W. Bond
Large crater degraded by Imbrium ejectaL77 Sirsalis Rille
Procellarum basin radial rillesL78 Lambert R
A buried 'ghost' craterL79 Sinus Aestuum
Eastern dark-mantle volcanic depositL80 Orientale basin
Youngest large impact basinL81 Hesiodus A
Concentric craterL82 Linné
Small crater once thought to have disappearedL83 Plato craterlets
Crater pits at limits of detectionL84 Pitatus
Crater with concentric rillesL85 Langrenus rays
Aged ray systemL86 Prinz Rilles
Rille system near the crater PrinzL87 Humboldt
Crater with central peaks & dark spotsL88 Peary
Difficult-to-observe polar craterL89 Valentine Dome
Volcanic domeL90 Armstrong, Aldrin & Collins
Small craters near the Apollo 11 landing siteL91 De Gasparis Rilles
Area with many rillesL92 Gylden Valley
Part of the Imbrium radial sculptureL93 Dionysius rays
Unusual & rare dark raysL94 Drygalski
Large south-pole region craterL95 Procellarum basin
The Moon's biggest basin?L96 Leibnitz Mountains
Rim of South Pole-Aitken basinL97 Inghirami Valley
Orientale basin ejectaL98 Imbrium lava flows
Mare lava-flow boundariesL99 Ina
D-shaped young volcanic calderaL100 Mare Marginis swirls
Possible magnetic field deposits