A Massif Rising Above Mare Serenitatis

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

mons

Coordinates

19.33° N · 29.01° E

Diameter

61.48 km

IAU approval

1935/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-42 · Mare Serenitatis

Geological Chronicle

Mons Argaeus is a lunar mountain massif extending 65 kilometers toward the southeast along the eastern border shared by Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis. Its peak rises approximately 2,560 meters above the plain of Mare Serenitatis to the west.

During the Apollo 17 mission, astronauts landed to the east of Mons Argaeus in the Taurus–Littrow Valley, adjacent to Mons Vitruvius and south of the crater Littrow.

The feature derives its Latin name from Mount Argaeus, a peak in Turkey now called Erciyes Dağı. The International Astronomical Union officially adopted the name in 1935.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1935 IAU Name Adoption

   The International Astronomical Union officially adopts the name Mons Argaeus for the lunar feature.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Official naming record, coordinates, and origin of name.
• Wikipedia — Feature dimensions, coordinates, elevation, surrounding maria, Apollo 17 proximity, and naming origin.

Name Origin

Named from peak in Asia Minor (now Erciyas Dagi).