Montes Apenninus

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The Apennine Mountains of the Moon.

Montes Apenninus are a rugged mountain range on the northern part of the Moon's near side. They named for the Apennine Mountains in Italy.

This range forms the southeastern border of the large Mare Imbrium lunar mare. It begins just to the west of the prominent Eratosthenes crater, which is abutted against the southern face of the range. To the west of these mountains is a narrow gap where Mare Imbrium in the north joins Mare Insularum to the south. Further to the west are the Montes Carpatus mountains.

From Eratosthenes, the mountains form an arcing chain that gradually bends from east to northeast, ending at Promontorium Fresnel at about latitude 29.5° N. Here is another gap where the Mare Imbrium to the west joins the Mare Serenitatis to the east. At the north end of this gap lie the Montes Caucasus.

Detail map of Mare Imbrium's features. Montes Apenninus is marked with a "K".

This range contains several mountains that have received names, listed below ranging from west to northeast:

Mons Wolff
Mons Ampère
Mons Huygens, often listed as the highest mountain on the Moon (thought not the highest point)
Mons Bradley
Mons Hadley Delta
Mons Hadley

The last two peaks are perhaps most famous for forming the valley where the Apollo 15 mission made its landing. This landing was considered one of the most scientifically successful missions of the Apollo program and started the last three J-Series missions that included the lunar rover and 3 day stays. Apollo 15 explored Mount Hadley, the Delta, and Hadley Rille which winds through the Delta. This was perhaps the most geologically diverse landing site of the program.

Much of this range forms a sharp, rugged rise at the edge of the Mare Imbrium, with a wide expanse of foothills on the far (southeastern) face. There are, however, some rugged foothills on the northwestern side along the section of the range to the southeast of Archimedes crater. The total length of the range is about 600 km, with some of the peaks rising as high as 5km.