Finding your way

Getting your bearings and locating features on the lunar globe

Introducing selenographic latitude and longitude, and lunar prime meridian Lunar features are located using selenographic latitude and longitude, which are similar to latitude and longitude on Earth. (‘Selenographic’ means ‘applying to the Moon’ in the same way that ‘geographic’ means ‘applying to Earth’.) Latitude is measured in degrees north and south of the Moon’s equator. Longitude is measured east and west of the lunar prime meridian, which is a line joining the Moon’s north and south poles. This used to be described as passing through crater Mosting A, but now is defined as the mean central north-south line seen from Earth. It doesn’t always appear centrally due to the effects of libration. East becomes west – why the cardinal points on the Moon are different to the rest of the…

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The Astronomer's Yearbook (Digital) - 1 Issue, Astronomer's Yearbook 2021

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