Names of M.Hell

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Names of Father Maximilian Hell (1720-1792)

Additional information to the short list of names from Maximilian Hell on page 93 in Ewen A. Whitaker's Mapping and Naming the Moon
Research: Ewen Whitaker, Jim Mosher, and Danny Caes

- According to Whitaker (p. 93), several editions of Hell's Ephemerides included a small labeled map of the Moon which introduced 11 names that had not been used by previous lunar cartographers, and although later cartographers re-cycled a number of these names, most were used for different formations. Hell's map, which Whitaker calls "a poorish copy of the Riccioli map", is reproduced on p. 94 of Whitaker. Four of the names introduced by Johann Schröter were taken from Hell's list (Whitaker, p. 218). These include Rost, Sharpius (now Sharp) and Wolff (now Mons Wolff); but only Sharp appears to have been used at the same location.
- Hell's nomenclature list, comparing the names of Riccioli (with his own additions) to those of Hevelius appears (but without the map?) starting on page 222 of the copy of his book available from the Hathi Trust. The following twelve names have asterisks indicating they were added by Hell: Halleyius, Schmelzerus (S.J.), Flamsteedius, Volsius (S.J.), Scharpius, Scheinerus (S.J.), Rostius, Wolffius, Tacquetus (S.J.), Schottus (S.J.), Regnaultius (S.J.) and Malebranchius. Both the list and map seem to be absent from the Google Books' copy.


- Flamsteedius
  • According to Whitaker (p. 219), this name (Flamsteed) was introduced by Mädler. The names Flamstedius and Flamsteedius had been used earlier by John Keill and by Hell, but for different formations (pp. 89, 93-94).

- Halleyius

  • According to Whitaker (p. 221), this name (Halley) was introduced by Birt and Lee. The name Halleyius had been used earlier by Hell, but for a different formation (p. 93).

- Malebranchius

  • (?) Could this have been Nicolas Malebranche? (1638-1715; French Oratorian priest and rationalist philosopher).

- Regnaultius S.J.

  • According to Whitaker (p. 93), this name (Regnault) was used on maps published by Hell in the 1760's (as Regnaultius S.J.). This would appear to be a reference to the recently deceased Jesuit mathematician and philosopher Noël Regnault (1683—1762). Hell apparently used this name for a different feature, but it is hard to know if Schmidt was intending to honor the 19th century chemist identified by the BAA in Who's Who in the Moon, or meant to reinstate the older name from Hell's map.

- Rostius

  • According to Whitaker (p. 218), this name (Rost) was introduced by Schröter, who himself got the name from a list prepared by Hell, where it appeared in the form Rostius and referred to a different crater (p. 93).

- Scharpius

  • According to Whitaker (p. 218), this name (Sharp) was introduced as Scharpius by Schröter. As Whitaker notes, Schröter was using a name he had found on a list prepared by Hell, and apparently used by Hell for the same feature (p. 93).

- Schmelzerus S.J.

- Schottus S.J.

  •  ?

- Tacquettus S.J.

  • According to Whitaker (p. 218), this name (as Taquet) was introduced by Schröter, although the names Tacquetti (p. 197) and Tacquettus S.J. had been used previously by Van Langren and Hell, but for different formations. Schröter's spelling of "Taquet" was adopted into the original IAU nomenclature of Blagg and Müller, but "corrected" in Table III of Kuiper's Photographic Lunar Atlas, which was approved by the IAU in 1961.

- Volsius S.J.

  •  ?

- Wolffius Freiherr

  • According to Whitaker (p. 218), this name (Wolff) was introduced by Schröter, who himself found it on a list of names prepared by Hell, where it appeared in the form Wolffius Freiherr, and was used for a different formation (p. 93).