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SASSERIDES. A formation of irregular shape, with very lofty walls, situated amid the confusion of ring-plains, craters, crater-pits, &c., in the region N. of Tycho, some of which are fully as deserving of a distinct name. HEINSIUS. A very curious formation on the N.E. of Tycho: a fine telescopic object under oblique illumination.
Its very rugged humpy surface includes one great central mountain, and innumerable minor hills and ridges, craters, and crater-pits; but the principal feature is the magnificent curved rill-valley running from the S. side of Fabricius across the rough expanse to the S. side.
There are several elevations on the floor. GOLDSCHMIDT. A great abnormally-shaped enclosure with lofty walls between Epigenes and the limb. Neison mentions only two crater-pits within. I have seen the rimmed crater shown by Schmidt on the W. side and three or four other objects of a doubtful kind.
Schroter is the only selenographer who gives Mairan a central mountain. In this he is right. I have seen without difficulty on several occasions a low hill near the centre. The formation is surrounded by a number of conspicuous craters and crater-pits. On the N. there is a short rill-like valley, and another, much coarser, on the S.
SAUSSURE. A ring-plain W. of Tycho, 28 miles in diameter, with bright lofty terraced walls and a somewhat dark interior, on which there is a crater, W. of the centre, and some crater-pits. There are several large depressions on the S.W. wall.
These distinguishing titles, as adopted by Schroter, Lohrmann, and Madler, and accepted by subsequent observers, are WALLED-PLAINS, MOUNTAIN RINGS, RING-PLAINS, CRATERS, CRATER-CONES, CRATERLETS, CRATER-PITS, DEPRESSIONS. WALLED-PLAINS. These formations, approximating more or less to the circular form, though frequently deviating considerably from it, are among the largest enclosures on the moon.
J.F.W. HERSCHEL. A vast enclosed plain, about 90 miles across, bounded on the W. by a mountain range, which here defines the E. side of the Mare Frigoris, on the S. by massive mountains, and on the other sides by a lofty but much broken wall, intersected by many passes. Within is a large ring-plain, nearly central, and a large number of little craters and crater-pits.
The outer slope of Tycho, exhibiting under a high light a grey nimbus encircling the wall, includes craters, crater-pits, shallow valleys, spurs and buttresses in short, almost every variety of lunar feature is represented. Excepting the central mountain and a crater on the W. of it, I have not seen any object on the floor, which, for some unexplained reason, is never very distinct.
It is well seen under a high light, as indeed is the case with most of these features. CRATERLETS, CRATER-PITS. To a great extent the former term is needless and misleading, as the so-called craters merge by imperceptible gradations into very minute objects, as small as half a mile in diameter, and most probably, if we could more accurately estimate their size, still less.
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