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