Montes Haemus
Encyclopedia
Montes Haemus is a curving range of mountains that forms the southwestern edge of the Mare Serenitatis
basin on the Moon
. They form a less prominent mirror image of the Montes Apenninus
range to the west, and curve up to nearly join at the northern end. The eastern edge terminates with the Promontorium Archerusla, to the northwest of the crater Plinius
. This end reaches a gap where the Mare Serenitatis to the north joins the Mare Tranquillitatis
to the south.
The selenographic coordinates of this range are 19.9° N, 9.2° E, and the diameter is 560 km. The tallest peaks in this range climb as high as 2.4 km. This range was named by Johannes Hevelius
after the old Greek
name for the Balkan mountains
.
Several rille
systems lie along the eastern side of this range. The eastern end of the range forms the western terminus of a rille
system designated Rimae Plinius. 100 km farther to the west the craters Menelaus
and Auwers
are embedded within the range, and to their northeast are the Rimae Menelaus. Where the mountain range curves up to the northwest, the cup-shaped crater Sulpicius Gallus
lies nearby on the lunar mare
. Just to the northwest of this crater, and paralleling the mountains, are the Rimae Sulpicius Gallus.
Several small "lakes", formed from basalt
ic lava
, lie along the southwest face of the range. From the northwest to the southeast these are Lacus Odii, Lacus Doloris, Lacus Gaudii, and Lacus Hiemalis. The Lacus Lenitatis lies farther to the south.
Mare Serenitatis
Mare Serenitatis is a lunar mare that sits just to the east of Mare Imbrium on the Moon.It is located within the Serenitatis basin, which is of the Nectarian epoch. The material surrounding the mare is of the Lower Imbrian epoch, while the mare material is of the Upper Imbrian epoch...
basin on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. They form a less prominent mirror image of the Montes Apenninus
Montes Apenninus
Montes Apenninus are a rugged mountain range on the northern part of the Moon's near side. They are named after the Apennine Mountains in Italy....
range to the west, and curve up to nearly join at the northern end. The eastern edge terminates with the Promontorium Archerusla, to the northwest of the crater Plinius
Plinius (crater)
Plinius is a prominent lunar impact crater on the border between Mare Serenitatis to the north and Mare Tranquilitatis to the south. South-southeast of Plinius is the crater Ross, and to the northeast is Dawes. Just to the north is a system of rilles named the Rimae Plinius...
. This end reaches a gap where the Mare Serenitatis to the north joins the Mare Tranquillitatis
Mare Tranquillitatis
Mare Tranquillitatis is a lunar mare that sits within the Tranquillitatis basin on the Moon. The mare material within the basin consists of basalt formed in the intermediate to young age group of the Upper Imbrian epoch. The surrounding mountains are thought to be of the Lower Imbrian epoch, but...
to the south.
The selenographic coordinates of this range are 19.9° N, 9.2° E, and the diameter is 560 km. The tallest peaks in this range climb as high as 2.4 km. This range was named by Johannes Hevelius
Johannes Hevelius
Johannes Hevelius Some sources refer to Hevelius as Polish:Some sources refer to Hevelius as German:*Encyplopedia Britannica * of the Royal Society was a councilor and mayor of Danzig , Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
after the old Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
name for the Balkan mountains
Haemus Mons
In earlier times the Balkan mountains were known as the Haemus Mons. It is believed that the name is derived from a Thracian word *saimon, 'mountain ridge', which is unattested but conjectured as the original Thracian form of Greek Haimos....
.
Several rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
systems lie along the eastern side of this range. The eastern end of the range forms the western terminus of a rille
Rille
Rille is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length...
system designated Rimae Plinius. 100 km farther to the west the craters Menelaus
Menelaus (crater)
Menelaus is a young lunar impact crater located on the southern shore of Mare Serenitatis near the eastern end of the Montes Hæmus mountain range. The crater was named after the jilted king of Sparta from the Iliad. To the southwest is the small crater Auwers, and to the southwest is the even...
and Auwers
Auwers (crater)
Auwers is a small lunar crater that is located in the Montes Haemus mountain range at the south edge of Mare Serenitatis. It lies to the southeast of the crater Menelaus...
are embedded within the range, and to their northeast are the Rimae Menelaus. Where the mountain range curves up to the northwest, the cup-shaped crater Sulpicius Gallus
Sulpicius Gallus (crater)
Sulpicius Gallus is a small, bowl-shaped lunar crater that lies near the southwestern edge of the Mare Serenitatis. About 10 kilometers to the south and east is the Montes Haemus range that forms the edge of the Serenitatis basin. This crater has a relatively high albedo, with a sharp-edged rim...
lies nearby on the lunar mare
Lunar mare
The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for "seas", by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas. They are less reflective than the "highlands" as a result of their iron-rich compositions, and...
. Just to the northwest of this crater, and paralleling the mountains, are the Rimae Sulpicius Gallus.
Several small "lakes", formed from basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, lie along the southwest face of the range. From the northwest to the southeast these are Lacus Odii, Lacus Doloris, Lacus Gaudii, and Lacus Hiemalis. The Lacus Lenitatis lies farther to the south.