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Old 24-August-2005, 02:58 PM
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Eroica Eroica is offline
Order of Kilopi
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Dubh Linn
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Default Old Names on Martian Maps

The British Astronomical Association's Mars Section has some interesting maps of Mars based on ground-based telescopy.

Shiro Ebisawa'a excellent three-part map uses the old classical names (Nix Olympica, Mare Acidalium, etc).

Quote:
This map is regarded, by the BAA Mars Section, as the standard reference for names, as the IAU map (below) contains too few names to be of real use. However, both are average representations of the planet, and Mars will never exactly resemble either map.
Many of the names on this map, however, are the old names of canals, which of course don't actually exist. So why are they still there? Are there observable albedo features corresponding to Ister, Nepenthes, Uranius, Gigas, etc?

One other point, while I have your attention. The two dark "forks" projecting from Sinus Meridiani are labelled Fastigium Aryn and Fontis Valkyrii. The former I've heard of before, but the latter is new to me. Googling gets no hits. I thought perhaps that the name ("The Valkyries of the Fountain") was incorrect for Valkyriorum Fons ("The Fountain of the Valkyries"), which sounds more Martian; but this too gets no hits on Google!
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