The Mountainous Cape at the Western Edge of Sinus Iridum

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

feature

Coordinates

40.60° N · 34.10° W

Diameter

50 km

IAU approval

1935/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-24 · Sinus Iridum

Geological Chronicle

Promontorium Heraclides is a raised mountainous cape situated in Mare Imbrium on the near side of the Moon. Spanning 50 km in diameter at 40.5986° N, 34.0972° W, the feature marks the western edge of Sinus Iridum. The cape is named after Heraclides Ponticus, a Greek philosopher and astronomer.

On November 17, 1970, the Soviet lunar probe Luna 17 landed about 30 km from Promontorium Heraclides. The landform was depicted as the face of a woman looking across Sinus Iridum in a 1679 lunar map by Giovanni Domenico Cassini, a drawing of disputed origin known as the Moon Maiden.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1679 Cassini Lunar Map

   Giovanni Domenico Cassini depicts the feature as the face of a woman looking across Sinus Iridum, a drawing of disputed origin called the Moon Maiden.

2. 1970 Luna 17 Landing

   The Soviet lunar probe Luna 17 lands about 30 kilometers from Promontorium Heraclides on November 17, 1970.

Scientific Sources & References

• USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Feature record for Promontorium Heraclides
• Wikipedia — Revision 1350390365

Name Origin

Ponticus; Greek astronomer (c. 388-310 B.C.).