Book Review: The Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas by Alan Chu, Wolfgang Paech and Mario Weigand

Scientists describe inner lunar structures through measurements from:

• Lunar Laser Ranging; and
• seismometers tracking carrier-rocket stage- or lunar probe-targeted crashes, meteorite impacts, Moonquakes, and seismic waves until 1977.

They expect a fluid core with:

• depths 869.92 – 1079.95 miles (1400 – 1738 kilometers) below lunar surfaces;
• diameter not quite 434.96 miles (700 kilometers);
• materials of iron and sulphur;
• size 25% the lunar radius, as opposed to Earth’s center 50% the terrestrial radius; and
• temperature 2912°F (1600°C).

They find a solid mantle with:

• lower and upper divisions at respective depths 347.97 and 43.49 miles (560 and 70 kilometers) down;
• material of dense olivine- and pyroxene-rich basalt; and
• transition to core at depths 683.51 - 869.92 miles (1100 – 1400 kilometers) down. 

Scientists give the lunar far-side a 62.14- to 86.99-mile (100- to 140-kilometer) thick crust. The near-side contrastingly has a 31.07- to 43.49-mile (50- to 70-kilometer) thick crust with:  

• extent thrice that of Earth’s;
• highlands 12.43 miles (20 kilometers) thick in megaregolith (cracked, fractured red bedrock);
• materials of feldspar anorthosite; and
• transition to mantle of KREEP (potassium [K], rare earth elements [REE], phosphorus [P]) material.

The lunar surface chemically is composed of:

• aluminum, 7%;
• calcium, 8%;
• iron, 12%;
• magnesium, 6%;
• oxygen, 42%;
• silicon, 21%; and
• titanium, 3%.

Scientists judge lunar rocks, identically oxygen molecule isotope-ratioed with Earth’s, suggestive of a 15,534.28- to 18,641.14-mile (25,000- to 30,000-kilometer) diameter disk from 3106.86-mile (5000-kilometer) diameter Theia grazing Earth 4,500,000,000 years ago. 

So The Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas keeps moon-viewers moon-loving through 180+ culturally enriching, educationally entertaining pages describing 422 lunar formations, providing 388 lunar images, and referencing 100 lunar features, thanks to:

• Cambridge University Press and Oculum-Verlag GmbH, publishers;
• Alan Chu, astro-photographer;
• Mardiña Clark, resolution test chart specialist;
• Storm Dunlop, astro-writer;
• Everbest, printer;
• Franz Hofmann, Lunar Laser Ranging specialist;
• Wolfgang Paech, astro-publisher;
• Martin Rietze;
• Wolfgang Sorgenfrey, astro-photographer and high-resolution lunar photography pioneer;
• Michael Theusner, astro-photographer and AviStack programmer; and
• Mario Weigand, astronomer and astro-photographer.

It lavishes super-examples of lunar observational record-keeping strides achieved through digital cameras. It models the efficacy of:

• the 10-inch Newtonian;
• the 11- and 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes; and
• the 6-inch refractor and 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. 

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Lunar Laser Ranging RetroReflector (LRRR) array placed and photographed on Moon July 31, 1971, by Commander David "Dave" Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) during Apollo 15 mission
NASA's ongoing Lunar Laser Ranging experiments measure distances between Earth and Moon via retroreflectors placed on Moon during Apollo program (missions 11, 14,15).
Apollo 15 LRRR array is sited on Palus Putredinis, eastern edge of Mare Imbrium, in near side's Hadley-Apennine region.: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc-20100413-apollo15-LRRR.html

Observing the moon: lower of two green beams is from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's dedicated tracker; other laser originates from ground system at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Both beams are pointed at LRO orbiting Moon.
Lunar Ranging Facility, Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland: NASA, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goddard_Spaceflight_Center_Laser_Ranging_Facility.jpg; "Observe the Moon," NASA image article Sep. 28, 2010, Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/observe-moon/

Giant Impact Hypothesis, also known as Big Splash or The Theia Impact: Moon formed from debris from Mars-sized protoplanet -- named Theia for Greek Titan mother of moon goddess Selene by Alexander Halliday in 2000 -- obliquely grazing Earth 4.5 bya.
"Planetary Smash-Up," artist's concept of Moon-sized celestial body speedily slamming into Mercury-sized body; similar high-speed collision detected by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope near young star HD 172555, sited about 100 light-years from Earth.
"PIA12166: Planetary Demolition Derby (Artist Concept)," image addition date 2009-08-10; image credit NASA/JPL-Caltech:May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA12166; Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1454.html

First image of the far side of the Moon was obtained by Soviet spacecraft Luna 3, or E-2A No.1, at 03:30 UT on October 7, 1959, at distance of 63,500 kilometers.
first of 29 photographs taken, covering 70 percent of far side: North is up; dark spot (upper right) = Mare Moscoviense; dark area (lower left) = Mare Smythii
NASA Image ID number Luna3_1; NASA Space Science Data Coordinated (NSSDC) Image Collection, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC): Public Domain, via NASA GSFC NSSDC @ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/lu3_1.html

Far Unseen Side of Moon: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Wide Angle Camera (WAC) mosaic of Lunar South Pole encompasses Aitkin Basin, one of Solar System's largest known impact craters.
"PIA13523: The Lunar South Pole," image addition date 2010-09-27; image credit NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University: May be used for any purpose without prior permission, via NASA JPL Photojournal @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13523; NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LRO_WAC_South_Pole_Mosaic.jpg

Chu, Alan; Paech, Wolfgang, and Weigand, Mario. 2012. The Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas. Translated from the German by Storm Dunlop and Published by Oculum-Verlag GmbH, Erlangen, in 2010. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.