View source for A B C shaped features

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=A B C shaped lunar surface features, observable through telescope, and/or appearing on orbital photographs=
<br />  Danny Caes<br /> <br />  This page is an experiment, to see if there might be 26 alphabet-letter shaped surface formations on the moon (and perhaps also the numbers from 0 to 9, and the 24 letters from the Greek alphabet).<br />  The source of this experiment is a question from Charles A. Wood, who wanted to know if it would be possible to create an alphabetic list with corresponding telescopic (or orbital photographic) lunar features.<br /> <br /> 
* '''A'''
* '''B''' The B shaped swirl north-northwest of '''Hansteen'''. See [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/images/preview/4156_h3.jpg LO IV-156-h3].
* '''C'''
* '''D''' The D shaped depression [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Ina Ina] at [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Lacus%20Felicitatis Lacus Felicitatis].
* '''E'''
* '''F'''
* '''G'''
* '''H''' The compact cluster of hillocks in the shape of an inflated H, southwest of '''Hansteen''', at: LAT -12.91/ LON -53.95.
* '''I'''
* '''J'''
* '''K''' The K shaped system of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Rimae%20Triesnecker Rimae Triesnecker].
* '''L''' The officially unnamed L shaped mountain west of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Lam%C3%A8ch Lamech], which is called '''Mons Elbruz''' by Danny Caes, because the terrestrial '''Elbruz mountain''' is also located in the '''Caucasus range'''! The lunar L shaped mountain is 'at its best' during Full Moon (a typical bright L!).
* '''M'''
* '''N''' The N shaped system of rimae just north of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Ramsden Ramsden].
* '''O''' (all over the moon; almost every crater, large and small).
* '''P'''
* '''Q''' The Q shaped remains of crater [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Kies Kies] (by Bachmann1).
* '''R'''
* '''S'''
* '''T''' The T-shaped kipuka southwest of '''Arago E''' / north-northwest of '''Arago D''', at LAT: 7.89 / LON: 21.93
* '''U'''
* '''V''' The '''Lunar V''' north of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Ukert Ukert] <u>M</u>, only observable during local sunrise (a clair-obscur phenomenon).
* '''W''' Curious W shaped formation at (approximately) 37° North/ 56°30' West, southeast of the bowl-shaped craterlet [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Mons%20R%C3%BCmker Rumker] '''<u>F</u>'''. See lower part of Lunar Orbiter 4 frame [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/images/preview/4163_h2.jpg 163-h2]. This could be a ''Trompe l'Oeil'' effect (an equivalent of the "''Face on Mars''" phenomenon).
* '''X''' The [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Lunar%20X Lunar X] at [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Blanchinus Blanchinus], [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/La%20Caille La Caille], and [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Purbach Purbach]''',''' which is only observable during local sunrise (a very well known clair-obscur phenomenon). A very interesting telescopic X is the crossing of two rilles on the floor of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Palmieri Palmieri]. Another X is the crossing of '''Rima de Gasparis II''' with an unnamed rille on the floor of an unnamed crater immediately southwest of '''de Gasparis''' itself. There's also a rather large X at '''Rupes Altai''' and the pronounced '''Tycho'''-ray at '''Polybius A''', known as the '''Delvau-"X"''' (from Ron Delvaux).
* '''Y'''
* '''Z''' The peculiar Z shape tendency on the western inner slopes of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Aristarchus Aristarchus], which could be a ''Trompe l'Oeil'' effect related to the angle of illumination (??). See LPOD [http://lpod.wikispaces.com/September%2022%2C%202009 Catching some ZZZ]
<br /> <br /> 
=The numbers from 0 to 9=

* '''1'''
* '''2''' The bright and distinct appearance of a 2 (a number two) at the eastern parts of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Deluc Deluc] and '''Deluc D'''. This peculiar effect is visible when the morning terminator runs at 1° 30' West (say: 1° to 2° West, over '''Oppolzer'''). The appearance looks very much like a "nonchalantly written number 2" (very thin looking, especially when the effect has just started). Discovered by Danny Caes on may the 12th, 2008 (Orion SkyQuest XT8).
* '''3'''
* '''4'''
* '''5'''
* '''6'''
* '''7'''
* '''8''' The curious 8 shaped (or ''Peanut'' shaped) craterlet west-northwest of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Nielsen Nielsen]. This 8 shaped feature is described and depicted in NASA SP-362 ''[http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/NASA%20SP-362 Apollo Over the Moon]'', Chapter 4: The Maria ([http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-362/ch4.3.htm Part 3]), Figure 89. Note: the photo-number which is mentioned below the depicted photograph (in ''AOTM'') should be '''10344''', and not "0344"! This 8 (or ''Peanut'') is also noticeable near the upper right corner of Lunar Orbiter 4's [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/images/preview/4163_h1.jpg Frame 163-H1].
* '''9'''
* 0
<br /> 
=The 24 letters from the Greek alphabet=

* '''Alpha'''
* '''Beta'''
* '''Gamma'''
* '''Delta'''
* '''Epsilon'''
* '''Zeta'''
* '''Eta'''
* '''Theta'''
* '''Iota'''
* '''Kappa'''
* '''Lambda'''
* '''Mu''' [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Montes%20Riphaeus Montes Riphaeus] (by Bachmann1).
* '''Nu'''
* '''Xi'''
* '''Omicron'''
* '''Pi''' The Pi symbol: the curious Pi shaped system of rilles at 18° North/ 2° East, in [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Sinus%20Fidei Sinus Fidei], slightly south of [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Rima%20Conon Rima Conon] (by Stephan Lammel).
* '''Rho'''
* '''Sigma'''
* '''Tau'''
* '''Upsilon'''
* '''Phi''' The Phi symbol, which is seen in [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Mare%20Serenitatis Mare Serenitatis] on many of the ancient lunar maps. The '''Bessel ray''' is the central "bar" of the Phi.
* '''Chi'''
* '''Psi'''
* '''Omega'''
<br /> 
=Question Mark=

* '''?''' The Question Mark shaped formation at (roughly) 28° East/ 5° North, in [http://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Mare%20Tranquillitatis Mare Tranquillitatis]. This is a typical Full Moon feature, and is (or seems to be) composed of tiny high-albedo craterlets and a long thin depression, arranged as a chain in the shape of a Question Mark (or hook). It is detectable on LAC 60 (page 120) in B.Bussey's and P.Spudis's ''Clementine Atlas of the Moon'', at the above mentioned coordinates. See also Apollo 10's ''Hasselblad'' [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/frame/?AS10-31-4600 AS10-31-4600].
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