Structure of the Moon's Surface

1st Edition - January 1, 1961
Author: Gilbert Fielder
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 1 - 5 0 1 6 - 1

Structure of the Moon's Surface focuses on the importance of certain features of the Moon's surface that have frequently been disregarded in the past, largely because of lack of… Read more

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Structure of the Moon's Surface focuses on the importance of certain features of the Moon's surface that have frequently been disregarded in the past, largely because of lack of knowledge of them. Topics covered include the librations of the Moon; height determinations of the points on the lunar surface; luminous intensity and luminescence of the lunar rocks; the color of moonlight and composition of the Moon's surface; and the Moon's temperature and atmosphere. This book is comprised of 14 chapters and begins with a review of important physical problems associated with the Moon, including its motion and figure as well as the luminous intensity and luminescence of its rocks. The following chapters discuss the polarization of light reflected by the Moon; the problem of the Moon's atmosphere; the probable nature of the Moon's surface; and changes occurring on the Moon. The Moon's ray and grid systems, lattice patterns, rilles and faults, and distribution and frequency of craters are also considered. The final chapter is devoted to the origin of the Moon's surface. This monograph will be of use to both professional and amateur lunar astronomers.

List of Plates

List of Abbreviations

Foreword

Part I

1 The Librations of the Moon

1-1 Note on the Orbit of the Moon

1-2 The Librations of the Moon

2 Height Determinations of Points on the Moon's Surface

2-1 The Determination of Relative Heights

2-2 The Determination of Slopes

2-3 Lunar Formations in Profile

2-4 The Determination of Absolute Heights

2-5 Summary

3 The Figure of the Moon

3-1 Discovering the Non-Sphericity of the Moon

3-2 The Internal Constitution of the Moon

3-3 The Past History of the Moon

3-4 Conclusions

4 The Luminous Intensity and Luminescence of the Lunar Rocks

4-1 Relative Intensities in General. Albedo

4-2 Intensity Distribution across Full Moon

4-3 Variations in the Intensities of the Continents, the Maria, and the Rays, with Variation of Phase Angle: Models of the Surface of the Moon

4-4 Intensity Variations of Bright and Dark Spots

4-5 The Color and Intensity of the Ashen Light

4-6 Do the Moon's Rocks Fluoresce

4-7 Evidence for the Phenomenon of Luminescence

4-8 An Eruption in the Lunar Crater Alphonsus

4-9 Summary

5 The Color of Moonlight and the Composition of the Moon's Surface

5-1 Visual Work

5-2 Instrumental Methods and Results

5-3 Summary

6 On the Polarization of the Light Reflected by the Moon

6-1 Work Accomplished with Purely Optical Polarimeters

6-2 Photoelectric Polarimetry

6-3 Summary

7 On the Temperature of the Moon

7-1 Surface Temperatures from Stefan's Law

7-2 The Measurement of Surface Heat Changes

7-3 Measured Surface Temperatures

7-4 Summary of the Measured Temperatures, and Conclusions

8 The Problem of the Moon's Atmosphere

8-1 Simple Visual Observations

8-2 A Final Solution from the Kinetic Theory of Gases

8-3 Possible Evidence for an Atmosphere

8-4 Evidence from More Refined Techniques

8-5 Summary of the Estimates of the Density of the Moon's Atmosphere

9 The Probable Nature of the Moon's Surface; Changes Which Occur on the Moon

9-1 Deductions from the Size and Mass, from the Figure, and from the Surface Structures of the Moon

9-2 Deductions from the Intensity Variations and from the Color of Moonlight

9-3 Deductions from the Polarization of Moonlight

9-4 Deductions from the Observed Temperature Changes

9-5 The Effect of the Absence of an Atmosphere

9-6 Changes in the Moon's Surface: Apparent and Real

9-7 Are Tektites Samples from the Moon

Part II

10 Ray Systems

10-1 General Description

10-2 Special Aspects of some Ray Systems

10-3 Ray Dynamics applied to the Systems of Tycho and Copernicus

10-4 Relative and Absolute Times of Formation

10-5 On the Discrete Nature of the Rays

10-6 Dark Bands

11 The Grid System, and Lattice Patterns

11-1 Linear Features

11-2 The System Radial to Mare Imbrium

11-3 Intersecting Grids

11-4 Lattice Patterns and Their Time of Origin

11-5 Summary

12 Rilles, Faults, and Wrinkle Ridges

12-1 Description and Distribution of Rules

12-2 The Detailed Forms of Rules

12-3 The Associations of Rules with Faults and Ridges

12-4 On the Origin of Rules

12-5 Wrinkle Ridges

13 Crater Distribution and Frequency

13-1 The Spatial Distribution of Maria

13-2 The Frequency of Occurrence of Craters of Different Sizes

13-3 Anomalies in the Frequency Distribution of Craters

13-4 The Spatial Distribution of Craters

13-5 Crater-Pairs

13-6 Crater-Chains

13-7 The Other Side of the Moon

14 Conditions Relating to the Origin of the Moon's Surface Structure

14-1 Erosion and the Time Sequence of the Topographical Features

14-2 Origins of the Craters

14-3 The Nature of Maria

14-4 Summary of the Probable Time Sequence of the Craters

14-5 Domes and Plateau Craters

14-6 The Nature of the Forces which Produced the Grid System

Appendices

I Sources

II List of Constants

Index