A 70-Kilometer Headland in Eastern Mare Nubium

Feature Profile & Selenographic Data

Feature type

feature

Coordinates

18.63° S · 7.34° W

Diameter

70 km

IAU approval

1961/01/01 00:00:00

LAC quadrangle

LAC-95 · Purbach

Geological Chronicle

Promontorium Taenarium is a headland on the near side of the Moon, located at the eastern end of Mare Nubium. Its length is about 70 kilometers.

The name Promontorium Taenarium was first used by Johannes Hevelius in his 1647 map of the Moon, though it referred to a bright point at crater Guericke B. The name refers to Cape Tainaron, also known as Cape Matapan, the southernmost point of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece.

Chronology & Exploration

1. 1647 First Cartographic Use

   Johannes Hevelius first uses the name Promontorium Taenarium in his map of the Moon, referring to a bright point at crater Guericke B.

Scientific Sources & References

• IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature — Official name, feature type, coordinates, dimensions, approval and name origin.
• Wikipedia — Promontorium Taenarium entry

Name Origin

Named from cape in Greece; now Matapan or Tainaron.