The Moon eBook

Thomas Gwyn Elger
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 240 pages of information about The Moon.

The Moon eBook

Thomas Gwyn Elger
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 240 pages of information about The Moon.

ANSGARIUS.—­A ring-plain, 50 miles in diameter, still nearer to the limb than the last.

BEHAIM.—­A great ring-plain, 65 miles in diameter, S. of Ansgarius, and connected with it by ridges.  It has lofty walls and a central mountain.

HECATAEUS.—­An immense walled-plain, 115 miles in length, on the S.W. of Vendelinus, with a very irregular rampart and a conspicuous central mountain.  It is flanked E. and W. by other large enclosures, which can only be seen to advantage when libration is favourable.

W. HUMBOLDT.—­Though close to the limb, this enormous wall-surrounded plain, some 130 miles in extreme length, and estimated to have an area of 12,000 square miles, is well worth observing under suitable conditions.  It ranks among the largest formations of its class, and in many respects resembles Bailly on the S.E. limb.  At one point on the E. a peak rises to 16,000 feet, and on the opposite side there are peaks nearly as high.  The floor contains some detail—­a crater, nearly central, associated with ridges, and two dark spots, one at the S. and the other at the N. end.

PHILLIPS.—­Abuts on the E. side of W. Humboldt.  It is a walled-plain, about 80 miles in length, with a border much broken on the E., and terraced within on the opposite side.  There are many hills and ridges on the floor.

LEGENDRE.—­A fine ring-plain, 46 miles in diameter, on the S.E. of the last.  According to Schmidt, there is a crater on the S. side of the floor.  There is a small ring-plain, ADAMS, on the S.

PETAVIUS.—­The third member of the great meridional chain:  a noble walled-plain, with a complex rampart, extending nearly 100 miles from N. to S., which encloses a very rugged convex floor, traversed by many shallow valleys, and includes a massive central mountain and one of the most remarkable clefts on the visible surface.  To observe these features to the best advantage, the formation should be viewed when its W. wall is on the evening terminator.  At this phase a considerable portion of the interior on the N. is obscured by the shadow of the rampart, but the principal features on the S. half of the floor, and on the broad gently-shelving slope of the W. wall, are seen better than under any other conditions.  The border is loftiest on the E., where the ring-plain Wrottesley abuts on it.  It rises at this point to nearly 11,000 feet, while on the opposite side it nowhere greatly exceeds 6000 feet above the interior.  The terraces, however, on the W. are much more numerous, and, with the associated valleys, render this section of the wall one of the most striking objects of its class.  The N. border is conspicuously broken by the many valleys from the region S. of Vendelinus, which run up to and traverse it.  On the S., also, it is intersected by gaps, and in one place interrupted by a large crater.  There is a remarkable bifurcation of the border S. of Wrottesley.  A lower section separates from the main rampart and, extending to

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The Moon from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.