Menelaus crater and Montes Haemus

Photographer: Victor Lupu
Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX105
Filter: No
Date: 10/02/2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: 10 Sony Vegas, video captures

         Menelaus (27 km), is a young crater situated on the southern shore of Mare Serenitatis near the eastern end of the Montes Haemus mountains. In the southeast is Auwers (20 km),and at south-west is Daubrée (14 km). North-East is a weak furrows called Rima Menelaus.
Menelaus's walls have a slightly irregular shape with a sharp edge and terraced walls on the interior.It  is 3 km deep. The interior has a high albedo, which is prominent. There are multiple peaks on the floor. Crater has a moderate ray system most prominent to the northeast, on Mare Serenitatis. The crater was named after the king of Sparta from Illiad, Menelaus of Alexandria.

         Montes Haemus (560 km), is a curved range of mountains forming the southwestern edge of Mare Serenitatis basin. They joins with Montes Apenninus at the northern end. Eastern edge ends with Archerusla Promontorium, north-west of the crater Plinius (43 km).
More small "lakes", consisting of basaltic lava, lies along the south-west slopes of the mountains. From north-west to south-east they are: Lacus Odii , Lacus Doloris, Lacus Gaudii and Lacus Hiemalis. Lacus Lenitatis  is further on south.

         Bessel (16 km) is a small lunar crater that is located in the southern half of Mare Serenitatis. Despite its small size, this is the largest crater on this plateau. It lies north-northeast of the crater Menelaus (27 km). This crater is circular and bowl-shaped with an edge that has a higher albedo than the surrounding floor or the sea. The exterior is not affected, and there are no features inside. Bessel was named after Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel (22 July 1784-17 Mar 1846) who was a German astronomer and mathematician.

Posted in: Craters,Craters of the east,Craters-Menelaus,Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis,Montes Haemus,Mountains of the Moon