Planets and Moons  ID: 5074

Mons Mouton, a Newly Named Lunar Mountain

Visualizations by Ernie Wright Released on February 15, 2023
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A view of the mountain with the Earth on the horizon. At the Moon's south pole, the south pole of the Earth is up.
A mountain near the Moon's south pole, sometimes known informally as Leibnitz Beta, has been officially named Mons Mouton after NASA mathematician and computer programmer Melba Roy Mouton. NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) team proposed the name to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the body in charge of naming lunar features. VIPER is scheduled to land on Mons Mouton, near the western rim of Nobile crater, in 2024.

The visualizations on this page were produced to accompany the announcement of the naming. They show Mons Mouton from a number of different angles. The flat-topped mountain spans almost 100 kilometers (60 miles) and rises roughly 6000 meters (20,000 feet) above the surrounding terrain. When lighting and libration are favorable, Mons Mouton is easily seen in amateur telescopes as a staple-shaped projection along the Moon's southern limb.
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A turntable view of Mons Mouton, beginning with Nobile crater in the foreground.
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A view of the Moon from Earth, zooming up to Mons Mouton, which is visible in amateur telescopes.
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The Earth emerges from behind Mons Mouton on the horizon.
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An overhead view of Mons Mouton, beginning with a natural color from a distance and changing to color-coded elevation as the camera comes closer. Includes a color key and animated scale bar.
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An overhead view of Mons Mouton, beginning with a natural color from a distance and changing to color-coded elevation as the camera comes closer. The key and scale bar are omitted.
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A zooming overhead view of Mons Mouton in natural color.
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A zooming overhead view of Mons Mouton with color-coded elevation.
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The camera slowly flies toward Mons Mouton as the lighting changes dramatically to reveal the terrain.
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The camera tilts down while aimed at Mons Mouton. The large crater in the lower right is Nobile.
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The camera flies in a circular arc while approaching Mons Mouton.
 

Related

The VIPER Landing Site

For More Information

Moon Mountain Name Honors NASA Mathematician Melba Mouton

Visualization Credits

Ernie Wright (USRA): Lead Visualizer
Kayvon E. Sharghi (ARC-DO): Producer
Erica Argueta (MORI ASSOCIATES, Inc.): Lead Producer
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5074

Mission:
VIPER

Data Used:
LRO/LOLA/Digital Elevation Map also referred to as: DEM
view all stories where this data set is used
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

This item is part of this series:
The Moon

Keywords:
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Lunar
SVS >> Moon
SVS >> Hyperwall
SVS >> Moon >> South Pole
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons
SVS >> VIPER