The NexStar 50 Lunar List

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A great resource to help you identify these features is the Virtual Moon Atlas - available free for download here.

 

 

Best Viewing Days

   

Dia/Dep/Class or

         

#

New to Full

Full to New

Feature

Feature Type

Length/Width or Area/Height

Rukl Area

Inconstant Moon

Lat

Long

Comments

1

7

21

Albategnius

Crater

81/14500/5

44

E4

12S

4E

Ring mountain 4500' off-center peak - Old with subsequent impacts

2

7

-

Alpine Valley

Valley

110/1-13

4

B4

48N

3E

Official name: Vallis Alpes - Flooded rift or oblique impact?

3

7

22

Alps

Mtn Range

150x350/12000

12

B4

47N

1W

Between Mare Grigoris and Mare Imbrium

4

5

20

Rupes Altai

Fault

300/2

57

F5

25S

25E

Arc between Piccolomini and Mare Tranquilitatis

5

8

21

Apennines

Mtn Range

450 mile chain

22

C4

20N

0

Rugged and spectacular - Apollo 15 (first lunar rover) landed at Hadley Rille at northwest end of mtn. Range

6

8

22

Archimedes

Crater

51/7000/5

22

C3

30N

4W

Large flooded crater with smooth floor

7

11

25

Aristarchus

Crater

25/12000/1

18

C2

24N

47W

Extremely Young - brightest feature with albedo of .18

8

14

27

Bailly

Crater

200/140005

71

H2

67S

69W

Largest nearside crater - on limb at SSW

9

12

26

Billy

Crater

30/4000/5

40

E1

14S

50W

Smooth floor and one of the darkest parts of the moon

10

7

22

Cassini

Crater

40/11500/2

12

B4

40N

4E

Odd looking flooded crater with two prominent interior craterlets

11

9

23

Clavius

Crater

162/16000/2

72

H3

59S

14W

Walled plain - try to count 6 craters in an arch on the floor

12

9

23

Copernicus

Crater

60/12500/1

31

D3

10N

20W

Ring mountain with 2000' multiple central peaks and terraced walls

13

-

20

Dionysius

Crater

12/8500/1

35

D3

3N

18E

Young and extremely bright

14

-

24

Euclides (Euclid),

Crater

8/4500/1

41

E2

7S

30W

Very bright try to see the floor

15

3

-

Furnerius

Crater

81/11000/3

69

G6

36S

61E

Walled plain with Furnerius "A" firmly planted on the wall

16

11

25

Gassendi

Crater

70/6500/5

52

F2

18S

40W

Walled plain with partially convoluted floor

17

Unviewable from Earth - skip this.

Giordano Bruno

Crater

12/??/1

16

B6

37N

83E

Extremely recent crater with documented impact - East of Gauss

18

13

25

Grimaldi

Crater

145/10500/5

39

E1

6S

68W

Walled plain with dark floor

19

-

24

Hainzel

Crater

58/10500/4

63

G2

41S

34W

Double crater with possibly the best example of wall terracing

20

-

18

Hercules

Crater

45/12500/1

14

B5

47N

39E

Isolated crater flooded with lava

21

-

25

John Herschel

Crater

105/5600/5

2

A3

62N

42W

Extremely old, disintegrated wall plain

22

8

-

Hesiodus Sunrise Ray

Occurrence

54

F3

29S

16W

Gap in wall casts shadow across floor at sunrise

23

11

25

Kepler

Crater

20/7500/1

30

D2

8N

38W

Extensive ray system

24

7

21

Linne

Crater

1/1500/1

23

C4

28N

12E

Young, with very bright halo of ejecta

25

7

21

Manilius

Crater

25/9500/1

23

D4

15N

9E

Bright crater viewed at angle or on full moon

26

6

21

Maurolycus

Crater

73/16500/2

66

G4

42S

14E

Briefly shines even brighter than Tycho

27

6

20

Menelaus

Crater

19/8500/1

23

C4

16N

16E

At full moon one of the brightest points

28

-

18

Messier A

Crater

2/1700/2

48

E6

2S

48E

Two overlapping craters. A pair of long rays extend westward from it, giving it the appearance of a comet.

29

2

16

Petavius

Crater

110/14000/5

59

F6

25S

60E

Massive cluster of central peaks rising far above the floor

30

5

19

Piccolomini

Crater

54/12000/1

58

F5

30S

32E

It has a great name and wall is highly terraced and pleasantly even

31

8

23

Pico

Mountain

8000

11

B3

46N

9W

Isolated mtn, massive size casts long shadow on right viewing days

32

8

23

Plato

Crater

67/8000/5

3

A3

52N

9W

Very dark basalt floor - how many craters can you count on the floor?

33

6

20

Plinius (Pliny)

Crater

27/10500/1

24

C5

17N

24E

Bright crater against darkness at junction of M. Tranquilitatis & M. Serenitatis

34

5

20

Posidonius

Crater

61/8500/5

14

B5

32N

30E

Look for riles on the floor & double wall - how did they form?

35

-

18

Proclus

Crater

18/12000/1

26

C6

16N

47E

Extensive white area around this young crater

36

4

-

Pyrenees Mountains

Mtn Range

165x45/11000

48

E5

12S

41E

Between Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris

37

13

27

Pythagoras

Crater

90/16500/1

2

A2

63N

63W

Near northwestern cusp, prominent feature showing contrast

38

9

-

Pytheas

Crater

15/7000/1

20

C3

21N

21W

Very bright and stands out well against it's dark surroundings

39

13

-

Reiner Gamma

Discolor

50mi Dia

28

D1

8N

59W

Unique feature with no detectable relief

40

9

-

Reinhold

Crater

28/9000/1

31

D2

3N

23W

An amazing 2-step terraced wall, with a ghost crater right next to it.

41

6

-

Rima Ariadaeus

Fault

137/2.5

33/34

D4

8N

12E

Resembles a canal connecting Mare Tranquillitatis and Mare Vaporum.

42

4

-

Rupes Cauchy

Fault

75 mi long

36

D5

9N

38E

A rille higher on one side - also see Rimae Cauchy and Cauchy crater

43

23

23

Rupes Recta

Fault

75/1200

54

F3

8W

22S

AKA Straight Wall - a slope rather than wall with max incline of 41°

44

11

25

Schiller

Crater

48x113/12500

71

H2

52S

39W

Most elongated crater on face of moon - 2.5 times longer than wide

45

7

-

Sinus Medii

Bay

200x100

44

D4

2N

2E

Bay at the centre of the lunar disc. Contains selenographic latitude 0 and longitude 0

46

5

20

Theophilus

Crater

65/22500/1

46

E5

11S

26E

Ring mountain - look for older sister Cyrillius and still older Catharina

47

8

23

Timocharis

Crater

22/9550/1

21

C3

28N

12W

Ejecta shows brightly against dark backdrop

48

8

23

Tycho

Crater

56/14000/1

64

G3

43S

11W

Ring mountain with 5000' central peak and immense ray system

49

12

-

Vallis Schroteri

Valley

124/6

18

C1

26N

51W

Crescent shaped distinctive valley

50

11

25

Wargentin Crater

59/500/5

70

G2

50S

60W

Circular, floor raised almost to top of perimeter wall aka called "Thin Cheese" due to resemblance to a camembert

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