Names of M.F.Van langren
Contents
Michel Florent Van Langren, aka Langrenus (1600-1675)
M.F.Van Langren's lunar nomenclature, see pages 191 to 200 (Appendix A, B, C, D) in Ewen A. Whitaker's Mapping and Naming the Moon
Exploring Whitaker's Appendix D (pages 195 to 200)
Here's an alphabetic list which shows several examples of possible detected explanations of Van Langren's discontinued nomenclature
Wikipedia's king-size scan of Van Langren's map, or: the small-scale version on page 41 in E.A.Whitaker's book.
- Alfonsi IX Reg. Cast. (Alfonso IX (1171-1230), King of Leon and Galicia).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Democritus.
- Andradae (possibly Diego Andrada de Payva (1528-1575), Portuguese theologian).
Should have been the name of the part in Mare Crisium which is officially known as Mare Crisium Omega.
- Annae Reg. Fran. (Anne of Austria (1601-1666), Queen consort of France and Navarre).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Arzachel.
- Annulus Neptuni (Neptune's little ring?).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Gassendi.
- Arenbergii (might have been related to the German historic county Arenberg).
Should have been the name of the pair of craters officially known as Murchison and Pallas.
- Balthasaris Hispa. Pri. (Balthasar Charles (1629-1646), Prince of Asturias).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Aristarchus.
- Barlaei (possibly Caspar Barlaeus (1584-1648), Dutch polymath, Renaissance humanist, theologian, poet, and historian).
Should have been the name of the formation officially known as Atlas A or alpha.
- Blitterswyckii (possibly related to the Dutch place Blitterswijck, and the noble family Van Blitterswijck).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Atlas.
- Caramuelis (Juan caramuel y Lobkowitz (1606-1682), Spanish Catholic scholastic philosopher, ecclesiastic, mathematician, and writer).
Should have been the name of the high-albedo spot near Descartes (Descartes C/ Dollond E).
- Caroli D. Loth. (Quite difficult! Might be related to one of the many Dukes of Lorraine/ Lotharingen. See also: Karel van Lotharingen).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Metius.
- Caroli I Reg. Britt. (Charles I of England (1600-1649), Monarch of the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Walther.
- Christierni IV Reg. Daniae (Christian IV of Denmark (1577-1648), King of Denmark-Norway).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Purbach.
- Christinae Reg. Suec. (Christina/ Christina Alexandra (1626-1689), Queen of Sweden).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Regiomontanus.
- Ferdinandi III Imp. Rom. (Ferdinand III (1608-1657), Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Albategnius.
- Francisci D. Loth. (possibly Francis I (1517-1545), Duke of Lorraine/ Lotharingen).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Kircher.
- Hensii (possibly Daniel Heinsius or Heins (1580-1655), one of the most famous scholars of the Dutch Renaissance).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Franklin.
- Hugenii (possibly Constantijn Huygens (1596-1687), Dutch Golden Age poet and composer, father of the scientist Christiaan Huygens).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Mercurius.
- Innocentii X (Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (1574-1655), Pope Innocent X).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Ptolemaeus, see also Pamphilii (Herschel, north of Ptolemaeus).
- Isabellae Reg. Hisp. (Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633), Queen of Spain).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Manilius.
- Isenburgi (might have been related to the County of Isenburg in Germany, and/or the House of Isenburg).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Almanon.
- Le Pessier (possibly a certain Joannes Le Pessier (1596-?), of Belgian origin?).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Euler.
- Leurechonii (possibly Jean Leurechon (1591-1670), French Jesuit priest and mathematician).
Should have been the name of the cluster of hills officially known as Spitzbergen.
- Ludovici XIV Reg. Fran. (Louis XIV (1638-1715), King of France).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Alphonsus.
- Moura (possibly the Moura Municipality or Manuel de Moura e Corte-Real, 2nd Marquis of Castel Rodrigo (1590-1651), Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1644 to 1647).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Cleomedes. Is the name Moura somehow related to Van Langren's name Mare de Moura sive Caspium? (Mare Crisium).
- Mariae Imp. Rom. (Archduchess Maria of Austria (1528-1603), Holy Roman Emperor, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Menelaus.
- Martinitzi (possibly Jaroslav Borzita of Martinice (1582-1649), Bohemian nobleman).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Bettinus.
- Maximiliani Duc. Bava. (possibly Maximilian I (1573-1651), Duke/ Elector of Bavaria).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Clavius.
- Mazarinii (possibly Cardinal Jules Mazarin (1602-1661), Italian catholic cardinal).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Alpetragius.
- Noyelles (might have been related to the French place Noyelles-sur-Mer).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Piccolomini.
- Ossolinski (possibly related to the Polish noble family Ossolinski).
Should have been the name of the bright spot officially known as Sirsalis A, aka Wilkins's Bertaud.
- Oxensterni (possibly related to the Swedish noble family Oxenstierna).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Snellius.
- Pamphilii (Pamphili, one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Roman Catholic Church).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Herschel, see also Innocentii X (Ptolemaeus, south of Herschel).
- Panciroli, lacus (possibly related to Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli (1587-1651), Italian catholic cardinal).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Plato.
- Philippi IV (Philip IV (1605-1665), King of Spain).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Copernicus.
- Puteani (possibly Erycius Puteanus (1574-1646), humanist and philologist from the Low Countries).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Proclus.
- Robervalis (possibly Gilles Personne de Roberval (1602-1675), French mathematician).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Wolf.
- Roma (Rome, capital of Italy).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Archimedes.
- Saavedrae (possibly Alvaro de Saavedra Ceron (late 15th century or early 16th century - 1529), Spanish explorer in the Pacific Ocean).
Should have been the name of a dark spot in the walled plain officially known as Schickard.
- Sfondrati (possibly Paolo Emilio Sfondrati (1560-1618), Italian cardinal).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Seleucus.
- Spinola (possibly Ambrogio Spinola (1569-1630), 1st Marquis of the Balbases).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Lilius.
- Trautmansdorffii (possibly related to nobility in Austria and Germany: Trauttmansdorff).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Hind.
- Vladislai IV Reg. Pol. (Wladyslaw IV Vasa (1595-1648), King of Poland).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Tycho.
- Vossii (possibly Gerardus Vossius (1577-1649), Dutch classical scholar and theologian).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Cepheus.
- Wassenarii (possibly related to the Dutch noble family Van Wassenaer).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Torricelli.
- Wolfgangi D. Neoburgi (possibly Wolfgang William, Count Palatine of Neuburg (1578-1653), German Prince).
Should have been the name of the crater officially known as Wilhelm.
- Zamosci (possibly Jan Zamoyski (1542-1605), Polish-Lithuanian nobleman).
Should have been the name of the pair of craters officially known as Steinheil and Watt.
Little mysteries to investigate...
- Aestuaria Bamelrodia (the estuary of Bamelrodia, nowadays known as Palus Somni). Now where on earth is (or was) Bamelrodia?
- Nachara, of which Ewen Whitaker wrote that this name's modern equivalent should be... Aytona ? (Montes Harbinger Beta). Aytona could have been related to Francisco de Moncada, 3th Marquis of Aytona (1586-1635), Spanish diplomat.
- Piperii =Silgero ? (Montes Harbinger Delta and Eta).
Van Langren's names used by Riccioli and/or later mappers (underlined).
Albategni (Albategnius - Riccioli).
Alfonsi, IX Reg.Cast. (Alphonsus - Riccioli).
Arati (Aratus - Riccioli).
Archimedis (Archimedes - Riccioli).
Aristarchi (Aristarchus - Riccioli).
Arzahel, Prom. (Arzachel - Riccioli).
Baieri (Bayer? Bayerus - Riccioli).
Bettinii (Bettinus - Riccioli).
Blancani (Blancanus - Riccioli).
Brahei (Tycho - Riccioli).
Briggi (Briggs - Schroter).
Bullialdi (Bullialdus - Riccioli).
Caramuelis (Caramuel - Wilkins) (disallowed name).
Cartesii (Descartes - Madler).
Claramontii (Claramontius - Riccioli) (disallowed name).
Clavii, Prom. (Clavius - Riccioli).
Cleomedis, Prom. (Cleomedes - Riccioli).
Colombi, Prom. (Colombo - Madler).
Copernici (Copernicus - Riccioli).
Crugeri (Cruger - Riccioli).
Curtii (Curtius - Riccioli).
Cusae (Cusanus? - Riccioli).
Derienni (Deriennes - Riccioli) (disallowed name).
Dionisii, Prom. S. (Dionysius - Riccioli).
Endymionis (Endymion - Riccioli).
Eratosthenis, Sinus (Eratosthenes - Riccioli).
Euclidis (Euclides - Madler).
Eychstadi (Eichstadius, Eichstadt - Riccioli).
Finiae (?) (the asterisk on the name Finiae must be an error from E.A.Whitaker) (this name doesn't appear in the lists from other selenographers).
Fournerii (Furnerius - Riccioli).
Gallilaei (Galilaeus, Galilaei - Riccioli).
Gassendi (Gassendus, Gassendi - Riccioli).
Grimbergeri (Gruemberger? - Riccioli).
Hevelii (Hevelius - Riccioli).
Hypatiae (Hypatia - Riccioli).
Hypparchi (Hipparchus - Riccioli).
Kepleri (Kepler - Riccioli).
Kircheri (Kircher - Riccioli).
Langreni (Langrenus - Riccioli).
Lantsbergi (Lansbergius, Lansberg - Riccioli).
Longomontani (Longomontanus - Riccioli).
Magini (Maginus - Riccioli).
Malvezzi (Malvasia? - Schroter) (disallowed name).
Mersenni (Mersenius - Riccioli).
Methonis, Prom. (Meton? - Riccioli).
Moleri (Mulerius? - Riccioli) (disallowed name).
Moreti (Moretus - Riccioli).
Morini (Morinus - Riccioli) (disallowed name).
Neperi (Neper - Schroter).
Piccolomini (Piccolomini - Riccioli).
Pitati (Pitatus - Riccioli).
Possidoni, Lacus (Possidonius, Posidonius - Riccioli).
Procli, Prom. (Proclus - Riccioli).
Ptolomaei (Ptolemaeus - Riccioli).
Pythagorae (Pythagoras - Riccioli).
Pythias (Pitheas Massil., Pythias - Riccioli).
Regiomontani (Regiomontanus - Riccioli).
Reithae (Reitha, Rheita - Riccioli).
Ricci (Riccius - Riccioli).
S.Bedae (Beda - Riccioli) (disallowed name).
Scheineri (Scheinerus Soc.I., Scheiner - Riccioli).
Schonbergeri (Schomberger Soc.I.?, - Riccioli).
Schyrlei (see Reithae/ Rheita).
Simpilii (Simpelius Soc.I., Simpelius - Riccioli).
Snellii (Snellius - Riccioli).
Tacquetti (Taquet, Tacquet - Schroter).
Thales (Thales - Riccioli).
Thebit (Thebit - Riccioli).
Timochari (Timocharis - Riccioli).
Ulloae (de Ulloa - Schroter) (disallowed name).
Vlacci (Vlacq - Madler).
Wendelini (Vendelinus - Riccioli).
Wilhelmi Lantgravi (Gulielmus Hassiae? - Riccioli).
Wolfii (Wolf? Wolff? - Schroter).
Xenophanis (Zenophanes, Xenophanes - Riccioli).
- Question: were the names Reithae and Schyrlei perhaps one and the same person? Anton Maria Schyrleus of Rheita; Czechoslovakian astronomer and optician.
Additional list of names not mentioned in E.A.Whitaker's alphabetic index on page 241
Chapter 3; Van Langren (Langrenus) and the birth of selenographyPage 38: Jean-Charles della Faille, Don Lorenzo Cocchi (no wikipedia page).
P.S.:
This page is an additional survey (an extended investigation) of Van Langren's nomenclature.
It is (or should be) an online "extra" to Ewen A. Whitaker's earlier exploration which was printed in his exquisite book Mapping and Naming the Moon; a History of Lunar Cartography and Nomenclature (Cambridge, 1999).
Many thanks to all the compilers of the Wikipedia's extremely interesting biographies! And also A.J.M.Wanders and his most interesting moonbook Op Ontdekking in het Maanland (Het Spectrum, 1948).
Danny Caes,
Ghent - Belgium