The Spitzbergen Mountains

The Spitzbergens have not received the close attention they deserve from lunarians probably because of the presence of such imposing neighbours as the well-known trio, Autolycus, Aristillus and Archimedes, which have more to offer as telescopic objects. Nevertheless, this interesting group of small bright hills are a fine spectacle under a low Sun; their mean position lies at 35° N 5° W – some 75 miles north of Archimedes. The main cluster of elevations covers some 40 miles in length from N–S with outliers further north. Some members of the group have summit craterlets but these are not visible in moderate apertures. The Spitzbergens are of no great height but they throw impressive spires of shadow at sunrise and sunset – especially at the latter as they are unimpeded by any sizeable features on the mare surface to the east. The principal spires attain a maximum projected length of 45 miles before being engulfed by the evening terminator.

The observation made on 1983 October 29, depicted in (b) and (c) is included here to show that with the value of the Sun's selenographical latitude at +1.°.02, the southernmost of the two major spires was directed towards Aristillus B, and was seen to cross the outer west glacis of that crater at colongitude 183°.2 as a grey penumbral shade – see drawing (c).