Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Ramsden Crater Honors British Instrument Maker Jesse Ramsden


Summary: Ramsden Crater honors British instrument maker Jesse Ramsden, who created the Palermo Circle, the discovery telescope for dwarf planet Ceres in 1801.


Detail of image obtained in 1967 by Lunar Orbiter 4 mission shows lava-flooded Ramsden Crater, with depressed portions of northern and southern rim, and associated Rimae Ramsden’s clefts in the lunar near side’s Palus Epidemiarum (Marsh of Epidemics); NASA ID 4136 H3: James Stuby (Jstuby), Public Domain (CC0 1.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Ramsden Crater honors British instrument maker Jesse Ramsden, whose scientific creations include the Palermo Circle, the five-foot vertical circle refracting telescope through which minor dwarf planet Ceres was discovered in 1801.
Ramsden Crater is a lunar impact crater in the lunar near side’s southwestern quadrant. Depressions disrupt the north and south walls of the crater’s roughly oval rim. Small impact craters dot the crater’s lava-flooded interior floor.
Ramsden Crater is centered at minus 32.96 degrees south latitude, 31.87 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The southern hemisphere crater limits its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to minus 32.54 degrees south and minus 33.37 degrees south, respectively. The western hemisphere crater confines its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to minus 31.46 degrees west and minus 32.29 degrees west, respectively. Ramsden Crater has a diameter of 25.11 kilometers.
Victorian selenographer Thomas Gwyn Empy Elger (Oct. 27, 1836-Jan. 9, 1897) noted Ramsden Crater’s “. . . remarkable rill-system . . .” (page 110) in his popular lunar guide, The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features, published in 1895. The rille (German: rille, “groove”) system, named Rimae Ramsden, wanders across western Palus Epidemiarum (Marsh of Epidemics).
Palus Epidemiarum hosts Ramsden Crater and its three satellites. Ramsden Crater and Ramsden A reside in Palus Epidemiarum’s western extent. Ramsden G and Ramsden H lie along southern Palus Epidemiarum, to the south and southwest, respectively, of their parent.
Palus Epidemiarum is a small, dark, basaltic plain. Mare Humorum (Sea of Moisture) and Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds) dominate the lunar surface to the north of Palus Epidemiarum.
Palus Epidemiarum is centered at minus 32 degrees south latitude, minus 27.54 degrees west longitude. The lunar mare’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes stretch to minus 28.88 degrees south and minus 36.47 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach minus 21.72 degrees west and minus 33.43 degrees west, respectively. Palus Epidemiarum’s length measures 300.38 kilometers.
Lepaute Crater is Ramsden Crater’s nearest, non-Ramsden Crater system neighbor in Palus Epidemiarum. Lepaute lies along Palus Epidemiarum’s western edge, to the west of Ramsden. The elongated lunar impact crater presents an uneventful, level interior floor.
Lepaute Crater is centered at minus 33.3 degrees south latitude, minus 33.69 degrees west longitude. It registers northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 33.04 degrees south and minus 33.56 degrees south, respectively. It records easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 33.45 degrees west and minus 33.93 degrees west, respectively. Lepaute Crater has a diameter of 16.36 kilometers.
Ramsden Crater honors British instrument maker Jesse Ramsden (Oct. 6, 1735-Nov. 5, 1800). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved Ramsden as the crater’s official name in 1935, during the organization’s Vth (5th) General Assembly, which was held from Wednesday, July 10, to Wednesday, July 17, in Paris, France. The letter designations of the Ramsden Crater system’s three satellites were approved in 2006.
Jesse Ramsden was elected as a Fellow of The Royal Society (FRS) on Dec. 1, 1786. The Royal Society’s website identifies Ramsden’s profession as scientific instrument maker, with specializations in mathematics, optics and physics. Ramsden’s Fellow webpage notes the “incredible accuracy,” “great” practicality and beauty of instruments created by perfectionist Ramsden.
Irish astronomer and writer Agnes Mary Clerke (Feb. 10, 1842-Jan. 20, 1907) states in her entry on Ramsden for the Dictionary of National Biography that Ramsden’s “most famous work” was the five-foot diameter refracting telescope that he created for Italian Theatine priest, astronomer and mathematician Giuseppe Piazzi (July 16, 1746-July 22, 1826). Known as the Palermo Circle, the telescope was installed at Sicily’s Palermo Observatory (Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo), which was officially founded on July 1, 1790. Piazzi is credited with discovering the inner solar system’s only dwarf planet, Ceres, via the Palermo Circle on Jan. 1, 1801.
The takeaways for Ramsden Crater, which honors British instrument maker Jesse Ramdsen, are that the lunar impact crater resides in western Palus Epidemiarum (Marsh of Epidemics) in the near side’s southwestern quadrant; that the primary crater parents three satellites; and that the crater’s namesake’s most famous creation was the Palermo Circle, the five-foot vertical circle refracting telescope through which the discovery of Ceres, the inner solar system’s only dwarf planet, was obtained in 1801.

Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Ramsden Crater (lower center) in western Palus Epidemiarum (Marsh of Epidemics) in the near side’s southwestern quadrant: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

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

Image credits:
Detail of image obtained in 1967 by Lunar Orbiter 4 mission shows lava-flooded Ramsden Crater, with depressed portions of northern and southern rim, and associated Rimae Ramsden’s clefts in the lunar near side’s Palus Epidemiarum (Marsh of Epidemics); NASA ID 4136 H3: James Stuby (Jstuby), Public Domain (CC0 1.0), via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ramsden_crater_4136_h3.jpg
Detail of Shaded Relief and Color-Coded Topography Map shows Ramsden Crater (lower center) in western Palus Epidemiarum (Marsh of Epidemics) in the near side’s southwestern quadrant: U.S. Geological Survey, Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/moon_nearside.pdf

For further information:
Andersson, Leif E.; and Ewen A. Whitaker. NASA Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclature. NASA Reference Publication 1097. Washington DC: NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scientific and Technical Information Branch, October 1982.
Available via NASA NTRS (NASA Technical Reports Server) @ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19830003761.pdf
Chinnici, Ileana. “The Relationship Between the Ramsden Circles at Palermo and Dunsink.” Journal for the History of Astronomy, vol. 40, part 3, no. 140 (August 2009): 321-333.
Available via ResearchGate @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252780706_The_Relationship_Between_the_Ramsden_Circles_at_Palermo_and_Dunsink
Clerke, Agnes Mary. “Ramsden, Jesse.” Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, vol. 47: 265-267.
Available via Wikisource @ https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ramsden,_Jesse_(DNB00)
Consolmagno, Guy; and Dan M. Davis. Turn Left at Orion. Fourth edition. Cambridge UK; New York NY: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Elger, Thomas Gwyn. “Ramsden.” The Moon: A Full Description and Map of Its Principal Physical Features: 110-111. London [England]: George Philip & Son, 1895.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/moonfulldescript00elgerich/page/110/
Grego, Peter. The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. London UK: Springer-Verlag, 2005.
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Elger.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1763
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Elger A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8917
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Elger B.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/8918
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Lepaute.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/3354
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Palus Epidemiarum.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4565
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ramsden.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4940
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ramsden A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/12445
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ramsden G.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/12446
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Ramsden H.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/12447
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Target: The Moon.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/MOON/target
Levy, David H. Skywatching. Revised and updated. San Francisco CA: Fog City Press, 1994.
Marriner, Derdriu. “Elger Crater Honors British Astronomer Thomas Gwyn Elger.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/01/elger-crater-honors-british-astronomer.html
The Moon Wiki. “Elger.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > E Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Elger
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Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_directions
The Moon Wiki. “Lepaute.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > L Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Lepaute
The Moon Wiki. “Palus Epidemiarum.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > E Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Palus_Epidemiarum
The Moon Wiki. “Ramsden.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > R Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Ramsden
Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.
The Royal Society. “Ramsden; Jesse (1735-1800).” The Royal Society > Fellows.
Available via The Royal Society @ https://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=1&dsqSearch=%28%28text%29%3D%27Ramsden%27%29
Saunders, R.S. (Stephen); and D.(Don) E. Wilhelms. “Geologic Map of the Wilhelm Quadrangle of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon Wilhelm Quadrangle I-824 (LAC-111). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Washington DC: U.S. Geological Survey, 1974.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i824
Stratton, F.J.M. (Frederick John Marrian), ed. Vth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. V B Proceedings of the 5th General Assembly Paris France, July 10-17, 1935. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, Jan. 1, 1936.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/
Titley, S.R. (Spencer Rowe). “Geologic Map of the Mare Humorum Region of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon Mare Humorum Region I-495 (LAC-93). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Washington DC: U.S. Geological Survey, 1967.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i495
Trask, N. (Newell) J.; and Spencer Rowe Titley. “Geologic Map of the Pitatus Region of the Moon.” Geologic Atlas of the Moon Pitatus Region I-485 (LAC-94). Prepared in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the USAF Aeronautical Chart and Information Center. Washington DC: U.S. Geological Survey, 1966.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/i485
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Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Mercury's Nawahi Crater Honors Native Hawaiian Painter Joseph Nawahi


Summary: Mercury's Nawahi Crater honors Native Hawaiian painter Joseph Nawahi, recognized as the first Native Hawaiian to create Western-style paintings.


Detail of Map of the H-4 (Raditladi) Quadrangle of Mercury shows Nawahi Crater (center left) and Kertész Crater (lower left) in western Caloris Planitia; image credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS: Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Mercury's Nawahi Crater honors Native Hawaiian painter Joseph Nawahi, a 19th-century nationalist leader whose legacy includes stature as the first Native Hawaiian practitioner of Western-style painting.
Nāwahī (clean name: Nawahi) Crater lies in western Caloris Planitia (Hot Plain) in south central Raditladi Quadrangle. The quadrangle numbers as fourth of the 15 quadrangles that abstractly divide the surface of the Swift Planet. The quadrangle's map covers the northern hemisphere's low-to-middle latitudes longitudinally from 180 to 270 degrees west longitude.
Nawahi (pronounced Na-vah-HEE) Crater is centered at 35.88 degrees north latitude, 214.74 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The northern hemisphere crater obtains its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 36.34 degrees north and 35.43 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes occur at 214.18 degrees west and 215.3 degrees west, respectively. Nawahi Crater's diameter measures 38 kilometers.
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL)-hosted MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging) website noted the dark material that surrounds Nawahi Crater in "Say Aloha to Nawahi!," posted Dec. 8, 2008. An image, obtained Jan. 14, 2008, at a spacecraft altitude of 9,400 kilometers (5,800 miles) by the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) during MESSENGER's first Mercury flyby, captured Nawahi Crater's dark halo. Described as "unusual dark material," the halo's rocks are likely to differ chemically and mineralogically from the lighter-surfaced surrounding terrain.
The major landform in which Nawahi Crater resides, Caloris Planitia, occurs as a large plain in Mercury's Caloris impact basin. Centered in the Raditladi Quadrangle, Caloris Basin extends eastward into Shakespeare Quadrangle and southward into Tolstoj Quadrangle.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved the plain's name in 1976 as one of two exceptions to the convention of names of Mercury, as god or planet, in various languages for Mercury's plains. The other exception is Borealis Planitia ("Northern Plain"), the namesake of Borealis Quadrangle, the northern polar region quadrangle with northern adjacency to Raditladi Quadrangle.
Caloris Planitia is centered at 31.65 degrees north latitude, 198.02 degrees west longitude. Its northernmost and southernmost latitudes touch 48.6 degrees north and 15.54 degrees north, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 176.3 degrees west and 217.97 degrees west, respectively. Caloris Planitia spans 1,500 kilometers.
Kertész (clean name: Kertesz) Crater is located to the south-southeast as Nawahi Crater's nearest named southern neighbor in Caloris Planitia. The crater's name, approved Apr 8, 2008, honors Hungarian-Jewish, later naturalized American (1944), photographer André Kertész (born Andor Kertész; July 2, 1894-Sept. 28, 1985).
The NASA-owned Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) online Photojournal post of Dec. 10, 2012, "PIA16624: The Sublime Kertész," presented an image of Kertesz Crater obtained Nov. 17, 2012, by the Narrow Angle Camera of MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System. Obtained as a high-resolution targeted observation, the image revealed Kertesz Crater's bright interior floor. The floor's "bright, irregular features," which are known as hollows, occur as prevalent landforms in Mercury's craters.
Kertesz Crater is centered at 27.37 degrees north latitude, 213.92 degrees west longitude. It marks its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 27.77 degrees north and 26.98 degrees north, respectively. It establishes its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 213.46 degrees west and 214.39 degrees west, respectively. Kertesz Crater has a diameter of 32 kilometers.
The International Astronomical Union approved Nawahi Crater's name on Nov. 20, 2008. The Mercurian crater eponymizes Native Hawaiian painter Joseph Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahī (Jan. 13, 1842-Sept. 14, 1896), whose full Hawaiian name was Iosepa Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu.
The 19th-century nationalist leader's legacy extends beyond politics into art. In her article, "Rare Painting by 'Hawaiian Ben Franklin," posted Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007, in the Honolulu Advertiser, Assistant Features Editor Wanda A. Adams noted Nawahi's recently discovered "Painting of Hilo Bay" (1888) as ". . . the only western-style painting by a Native Hawaiian of the 19th century." The painting numbers as ". . . one of five known paintings by the 19th-century Hawaiian teacher, lawmaker and royal adviser."
The takeaways for Nawahi Crater's honoring Native Hawaiian painter Joseph Nawahi are that the northern hemisphere crater lies in western Caloris Planitia (Hot Plain) in south central Raditladi Quadrangle; that bright-floored Kertész (Kertesz) Crater occurs as the middle-latitude crater's nearest named southern neighbor; and that the dark-haloed crater eponymizes 19th-century Native Hawaiian politician-artist Joseph Nawahi, whose legacy includes five paintings representing the first instances of Western-style painting by a Native Hawaiian.

"Painting of Hilo Bay," 1888 oil painting by 19th-century Native Hawaiian politician-artist Joseph Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahī (full Hawaiian name Iosepa Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu); Ke Ali'i Pauahi Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, Honolulu, Hawaii: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Image credits:
Detail of Map of the H-4 (Raditladi) Quadrangle of Mercury shows Nawahi Crater (center left) and Kertész Crater (lower left) in western Caloris Planitia; image credit NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington/USGS: Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/H-4.pdf
"Painting of Hilo Bay," 1888 oil painting by 19th-century Native Hawaiian politician-artist Joseph Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahī (full Hawaiian name Iosepa Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu); Ke Ali'i Pauahi Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, Honolulu, Hawaii: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:'View_of_Hilo_Bay',_oil_painting_by_Joseph_Nawahi,_1888,_Kamehameha_Schools,_Honolulu.jpg

For further information:
Adams, Wanda A. (January 14, 2007). "Rare Painting by 'Hawaiian Ben Franklin'". The Honolulu Advertiser. Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20090604222207/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Jan/14/il/FP701140310.html/?print=on
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Caloris Planitia.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated May 25, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/979
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Surface Feature Categories.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Coordinate Systems for Planets and Satellites.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Target Coordinate Systems.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/TargetCoordinates
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Descriptor Terms (Feature Types).” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Documentation > Descriptor Terms.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Kertész.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 11, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14398
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Munch.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 12, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14513
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Nāwahī.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 12, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14515
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Poe.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 12, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14517
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Sander.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > Mercury. Last updated Oct. 13, 2016.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14395
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "PIA16624: The Sublime Kertész." PhotoJournal. Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington. Image Addition Date: 2012-12-10.
Available @ https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16624
Marriner, Derdriu. "Stieglitz Crater Honors American Photographer Alfred Stieglitz." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 10, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/07/stieglitz-crater-honors-american.html
Marriner, Derdriu. "Stieglitz Crater Hosts Radar Bright Materials in Shadowed Areas." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, July 17, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/07/rare-simultaneous-mercury-and-venus.html
MESSENGER. "New Names for a Second Set of Craters on Mercury." The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) > Explore. Release Date: Nov. 26, 2008.
Available @ https://messenger.jhuapl.edu/Explore/Science-Images-Database/gallery-image-276.html
MESSENGER. "Say Aloha to Nawahi!" The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) > Explore. Release Date: Dec. 8, 2008.
Available @ https://messenger.jhuapl.edu/Explore/Science-Images-Database/gallery-image-278.html
Ozawa, Ryan Kawailani. "Nawahi Crater on Mercury." Hawaii Blog. Nov. 27, 2008.
Available @ https://www.hawaiiweblog.com/2008/11/27/nawahi-crater
Severson, Don R.; Michael D. Horikawa; Jennifer Saville, Jennifer. Finding Paradise: Island Art in Private Collections. Honolulu HI: Honolulu Academy of Arts; University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2002.
Sheldon, John G. M.; Edward L. Like; and John K. Prendergast. Ka Puke Moʻolelo o Hon. Joseph K. Nāwahī (in Hawaiian). Hilo HI: Hale Kuamoʻo, Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani, 1996 [1906].


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Dalton Crater Honors British Chemist and Physicist John Dalton


Summary: Dalton Crater honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton, whose scientific contributions include pioneering atomic theory.


Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 37 shows Dalton Crater and its neighbors in the vicinity of the lunar near’s northwestern limb; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Dalton Crater honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton, who is acknowledged as a pioneer in atomic theory.
Dalton Crater is an equatorial-latitude lunar impact crater with northwestern limb nearness on the lunar near side. Dalton features terraced interior walls. A system of rilles (German: rille, “groove”) form generally concentric circles with the crater’s inner wall. A central peak offset arises just to the north of the crater’s midpoint.
Dalton Crater is centered at 17.07 degrees north latitude, minus 84.45 degrees west longitude, according to the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The northern hemisphere crater finds its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 18.07 degrees north and 16.06 degrees north, respectively. The equatorial latitude crater posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 83.41 degrees west and minus 65.5 degrees west, respectively. Dalton Crater’s diameter measures 60.69 kilometers.
Western Dalton Crater has formed a neighborly attachment with Einstein Crater’s eastern rim. Einstein Crater’s location to the west of Dalton places its western extent at and beyond the near side’s western limb.
Einstein Crater is centered at 16.6 degrees north latitude, minus 88.65 degrees west longitude. The impact-bombarded crater records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 19.6 degrees north and 13.61 degrees north, respectively. Dalton Crater’s nearest neighbor registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of minus 85.54 west and minus 91.77 degrees west, respectively. Einstein Crater’s diameter spans 181.47 kilometers.
Balboa Crater and Vasco da Gama Crater also reside in Dalton Crater’s vicinity. Balboa Crater and satellite Balboa A lie to Dalton’s north-northeast and east-northeast, respectively. Vasco da Gama and Vasco da Gama B are located to the south and southeast of Dalton, respectively.
Dalton Crater’s northern neighbor, Balboa Crater, is centered at 19.24 degrees north latitude, minus 83.31 degrees west longitude. Balboa’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at 20.38 degrees north and 18.1 degrees north, respectively. Balboa obtains its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 82.1 degrees west and minus 84.52 degrees west, respectively. Balboa Crater’s diameter measures 69.19 kilometers.
Dalton Crater’s eastern neighbor, Balboa A, is centered at 17.42 degrees north latitude, minus 82.02 degrees west longitude. The satellite crater limits its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to 18.19 degrees north and 16.65 degrees north, respectively. It restricts its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to minus 81.21 degrees west and minus 82.83 degrees west, respectively. Balboa A has a diameter of 46.66 kilometers.
Dalton Crater’s southern neighbor, Vasco da Gama Crater, is centered at 13.78 degrees north latitude, minus 83.94 degrees west longitude. The northern hemisphere crater’s northernmost and southernmost latitudes occur at 15.33 degrees north and 12.24 degrees north, respectively. It marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at minus 82.35 degrees west and minus 85.52 degrees west, respectively. Vasco da Gama Crater’s diameter spans 93.52 kilometers.
Vasco da Gama Crater’s satellite B is centered at 15.72 degrees north latitude, minus 83.12 degrees west longitude. B confines its northernmost and southernmost latitudes to 16.13 degrees north and 15.3 degrees north, respectively. It narrows its easternmost and westernmost longitudes to minus 82.69 degrees west and minus 83.55 degrees west, respectively. Vasco da Gama B has a diameter of 25.06 kilometers.
Dalton Crater honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton (Sept. 6, 1766-July 27, 1844). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) approved Dalton as the crater’s official name in 1964, during the organization’s XIIth (12th) General Assembly, held in Hamburg, Germany, from Tuesday, Aug. 25, to Thursday, Sept. 3.
The Royal Society, formally known as The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, was founded on Nov. 28, 1660. John Dalton was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) on March 7, 1822, according to The Royal Society website.
The Royal Medals, initiated by George IV (Aug. 12, 1762-June 26, 1830), King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1825, were first awarded in 1826. The first two recipients were John Dalton and British mathematician James Ivory (Feb. 17, 1765-Sept. 21, 1842). Dalton’s citation stated: “For his development of the Atomic Theory and his other important labours and discoveries in Physical Science.”
The takeaways for Dalton Crater, which honors British chemist and physicist John Dalton, are that the equatorial latitude lunar impact crater lies, in northwestern limb nearness, in the near side’s northwestern quadrant; and that the lunar crater’s namesake is honored as one of the first two recipients of the Royal Medal, awarded in 1826.

Detail of image obtained 1967 by Lunar Orbiter 4 shows Dalton Crater; NASA ID 4182 H2: James Stuby (Jstuby), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Image credits:
Detail of Lunar Astronautical Chart (LAC) 37 shows Dalton Crater and its neighbors in the vicinity of the lunar near’s northwestern limb; courtesy NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) / ASU (Arizona State University): Public Domain, via USGS Astrogeology Science Center / Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Lunar/lac_37_wac.pdf
Detail of image obtained 1967 by Lunar Orbiter 4 shows Dalton Crater; NASA ID 4182 H2: James Stuby (Jstuby), Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dalton_crater_4182_h2.jpg

For further information:
Consolmagno, Guy; and Dan M. Davis. Turn Left at Orion. Fourth edition. Cambridge UK; New York NY: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Dalton, John. A New System of Chemical Philosophy. Part I. Manchester [England]: S. Russell, 1808.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/newsystemofchemi01daltuoft/
Dalton, John. A New System of Chemical Philosophy. Part II. Manchester [England]: S. Russell, 1810.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/newsystemofchemi01daltuoft/page/220/
Grego, Peter. The Moon and How to Observe It. Astronomers’ Observing Guides. London UK: Springer-Verlag, 2005.
Henry, William Charles. Memoirs of the Life and Scientific Researches of John Dalton. Works of The Cavendish Society, Founded 1846. London [England]: Printed for The Cavendish Society by Harrison & Sons, 1854.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/memoirsoflifesci00henruoft/
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Balboa.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/570
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Balboa A.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/7514
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Dalton.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1392
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Einstein.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/1745
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Oceanus Procellarum.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4395
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Target: The Moon.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/MOON/target
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Vasco da Gama.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/6327
International Astronomical Union (IAU) / U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. “Vasco da Gama B.” USGS Astrogeology Science Center > Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature > Nomenclature > The Moon. Last updated Oct. 18, 2010.
Available @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/13618
Levy, David H. Skywatching. Revised and updated. San Francisco CA: Fog City Press, 1994.
Marriner, Derdriu. “Einstein A Crater Lies as Young Crater in the Center of Einstein Crater.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 20, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/03/einstein-crater-lies-as-young-crater-in.html
Marriner, Derdriu. “Einstein Crater Honors German American Physicist Albert Einstein.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 6, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/03/einstein-crater-honors-german-american.html
Marriner, Derdriu. “Einstein Crater Parents Three Satellites On Near Side’s Western Limb.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 13, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/03/einstein-crater-parents-three.html
Millington, J.P. (John Price). John Dalton. English Men of Science Series. London [England]: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York NY: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1906.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/johndalton00milliala/
The Moon Wiki. “Balboa.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > B Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Balboa
The Moon Wiki. “Dalton.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > D Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Dalton
The Moon Wiki. “Einstein.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > E Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Einstein
The Moon Wiki. “IAU Directions.” The Moon.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/IAU_directions
The Moon Wiki. “Vasco da Gama.” The Moon > Lunar Features Alphabetically > V Nomenclature.
Available @ https://the-moon.us/wiki/Vasco_Da_Gama
Moore, Patrick, Sir. Philip’s Atlas of the Universe. Revised edition. London UK: Philip’s, 2005.
Pecker, J.-C. (Jean-Claude), ed. XIIth General Assembly Transactions of the IAU Vol. XII B and XII C Proceedings of the 12th General Assembly Hamburg, Germany, August 25-September 3, 1964. Oxford UK: Blackwell Scientific Publications, Jan. 1, 1966.
Available @ https://www.iau.org/publications/iau/transactions_b/
The Royal Society. “John Dalton.” The Royal Society > Media > Royal Society Content > Awards.
Available via The Royal Society @ https://royalsociety.org/~/media/royal_society_content/awards/awards.txt
The Royal Society. “Dalton; John (1766-1844).” The Royal Society > Fellows.
Available via The Royal Society @ https://collections.royalsociety.org/DServe.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=19&dsqSearch=%28%28text%29%3D%27Dalton%27%29
The Royal Society. “Portrait of John Dalton.” The Royal Society > Picture Library.
Available @ https://pictures.royalsociety.org/image-rs-9732
Smith, Robt. Angus. Memoir of John Dalton, and History of the Atomic Theory Up to His Time. Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester, second series, vol. 13. London [England]: H. Bailliere; Paris [France]: J.B. Bailliere, 1856.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2486604
Wilhelms, Don E.; John F. McCauley; and Newell J. Trask. The Geologic History of the Moon. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1348. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1987.
Available via USGS Publications Warehouse @ https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp1348


Sunday, September 8, 2013

Namdapha Flying Squirrels Are Like Laotian Giant Flying Squirrels


Summary: Wild discoveries of Namdapha flying squirrels in India in 1981 anticipated wild discoveries of related Laotian giant flying squirrels in Laos in 2013.


Zoological Survey of India-Calcutta zoologist Subhendu Sekhar Saha named Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) from a single specimen discovered in 1981; photo by Brij Kishor Gupta/Central Zoo Authority (CZA): Defense Against Animal Cruelty @DefenceAgainstAnimalCruelty, via Facebook Dec. 22, 2011

Wild discoveries of Namdapha flying squirrels in India in 1981 antecede by 11 years and 776.71 miles (1,250 kilometers) wild discoveries of Laotian giant flying squirrels in central Laos Sep. 22, 2012.
An article by Subhendu Sekhar Saha in the Bulletin of the Zoological Survey of India bore the announcement of wild discoveries during a three-month zoological expedition. The article A New Genus and a New Species of Flying Squirrel (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae) From Northeastern India concerns a male specimen captured in Arunachal Pradesh. Dr. Shyamrup Biswas detected a male flying squirrel at 8:15 p.m. locally (3:15 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time) 16.16 miles (26 kilometers) east of Miao, Tirap District.
Faunistic survey team members extracted the male specimen of Namdapha flying squirrels from one of the Indian rose chestnut (Mesua ferrea) forest trees April 27, 1981.

The 32-year-old Zoological Survey of India specimen ZSI 20705 features the extracted skull and, for 15.95-inch (405-millimeter) head-body and 23.82-inch (605-millimeter) tail lengths, the preserved skin.
Namdapha flying squirrels within the 30-year-old, 766.41-square-mile (1,985-square-kilometer) Namdapha Tiger Reserve and National Park get pale violet-gray crowns and vinaceous (from Latin vīnāceus, "grape-like") red-brown muzzles. They have red-tipped silver-white-haired foreheads; gray-white cheeks; Mehgony red-ringed eyes; black-, narrow-lined nasal bridges; and silver-white rear-margin and grizzled Morocco red, silver-white front-based, front-margin ear tufts. Namdapha flying squirrels, identified as Biswamoyopterus biswasi ("winged [ornithologist] Biswamoy Biswas [June 2, 1923-Aug. 10, 1994]"), each include one clove-brown chin spot below their lower lips.
Namdapha flying squirrels juggle grizzled Morocco red, silver-white and white from their front-based ear tufts down the sides, and to the middle sections, of their necks.

Smoky, vinaceous gray basal thirds of red-hair shafts and basal gray, middle white and upper black thirds to white keep upper-sides grizzled Morocco red and white.
The Pteromyini (from Greek πτερόν, "wing") tribe and Sciuridae (from Greek σκιά, "shadow," οὐρά, "tail" and -ειδής, "-like") family member lodges softly thick-haired pearl-gray-based, white-tipped undersides. Namdapha flying squirrels manifest loin fur and outer-patagium (from Latin patagīum, "gold-bordered tunic") gliding membranes whose hair shafts mingle cinnamon and orange bases and red tips. They net cinnamon underwool; Mehgony red underarms; grizzled silver-white and vinaceous slate patagium side margins black-lined down forelimbs through digits; Morocco red ankles; and black-margined soles.
A gray-, red-, white-grizzled interfemoral membrane obscures cinnamon, clove-brown, gray, orange, russet lower thirds to the cylindrical tail's cinnamon, clove-brown, gray, orange, red-brown, russet upper thirds.

Namdapha flying squirrel skulls present large sockets and tympanic bullae ("hearing bubbles") with 10 to 12 honeycomb-patterned septae ("partitions"); short palates; and white zygomatic ("cheekbone") arches.
Namdapha flying squirrels queue up sculpture-, wrinkle-free enamel patchily black-brown-stained; shallow-grooved upper-incisor inner margins; and prominent lower third and upper first three molars and fourth premolars. They reveal black-brown-stained enamel, ear tufts, interfemoral membranes and non-feathery tails like Laotian giant flying squirrels but territorial ranges like red giant flying squirrels (Petaurista petaurista). They survive 55.12- to 98.42-inch (1,400- to 2,500-millimeter) annual rainfall and temperatures between minus 34.6 and minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 37 and 17.6 degrees Celsius).
One tree in one Na Dihing River valley, on 1,148.29-foot (350-meter) Patkai range western slopes, in one park transmitted one Namdapha flying squirrel 32 years ago.

Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) discoverer Subhendu Sekhar Saha of Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta, honored his mentor, Indian ornithologist Biswamoy Biswas (June 2, 1923-Aug. 10, 1994), with the squirrel's genus name, Biswamoyopterus; the species' namesake was the 1981 Namdapha Expedition's leader, Indian zoologist Shyamrup Biswas; Dr. Biswamoy Biswas examines Pangboche, Nepal, yeti scalp during the Daily Mail's 1954 Snowman Expedition in photo by the expedition's mountaineering leader, English mountaineer John Angelo Jackson (March 24, 1921-July 2, 2005): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Image credits:
Zoological Survey of India-Calcutta zoologist Subhendu Sekhar Saha named Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) from a single specimen discovered in 1981; photo by Brij Kishor Gupta/Central Zoo Authority (CZA): Defense Against Animal Cruelty @DefenceAgainstAnimalCruelty, via Facebook Dec. 22, 2011, @ https://www.facebook.com/DefenceAgainstAnimalCruelty/photos/a.193044707389478/334920726535208/
Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi) discoverer Subhendu Sekhar Saha of Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta, honored his mentor, Indian ornithologist Biswamoy Biswas (June 2, 1923-Aug. 10, 1994), with the squirrel's genus name, Biswamoyopterus; the species' namesake was the 1981 Namdapha Expedition's leader, Indian zoologist Shyamrup Biswas; Dr. Biswamoy Biswas examines Pangboche, Nepal, yeti scalp during the Daily Mail's 1954 Snowman Expedition in photo by the expedition's mountaineering leader, English mountaineer John Angelo Jackson (March 24, 1921-July 2, 2005): CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pangcboche-19534-John-Jackson.jpg

For further information:
Defense Against Animal Cruelty @DefenceAgainstAnimalCruelty. 22 December 2011. "The Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi), the sole species placed in the genus Biswamoyopterus, is an arboreal, nocturnal flying squirrel endemic to India.." Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/DefenceAgainstAnimalCruelty/photos/a.193044707389478/334920726535208/
Jordan, Mike J.R. "Squirrels and Relatives I Flying Squirrels (Pteromyinae)." In: Michael Hutchins, Devra G. Kleiman, Valerius Geist and Melissa C. McDade, eds., Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, Vol. 16 Mammals V: 135-142. Second edition. Farmington Hills MI: Gale Group, 2003.
Marriner, Derdriu. 7 September 2013. "Laotian Giant Flying Squirrels Are Wild Discoveries in Food Markets." Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2013/09/laotian-giant-flying-squirrels-are-wild.html
Saha, Subhendu Sekhar. 1981. "A New Genus and a New Species of Flying Squirrels (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae) from Northeastern India." Bulletin of the Zoological Survey of India, vol. 4, no 3: 331-336.
Available @ http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/bulletin/004/03/0331-0336.pdf
Sanamxay, Daosavanh; Bounsavane Douangboubpha; Sara Bumrungsri; Sysouphanh Xayavong Vilakhan Xayaphet; Chutamas Satasook; and Paul J.J. Bates. 15 July 2013. "Rediscovery of Biswamoyopterus (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae: Pteromyini) in Asia, with the Description of a New Species from Lao PDR." Zootaxa 3686(4): 471-481. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa,3686.4.5.
Available @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283898290_Rediscovery_of_Biswamoyopterus_Mammalia_Rodentia_Sciuridae_Pteromyini_in_Asia_with_the_description_of_a_new_species_from_Lao_PDR


Saturday, September 7, 2013

Laotian Giant Flying Squirrels Are Wild Discoveries in Food Markets


Summary: Laotian giant flying squirrels are wild discoveries available as poached bushmeat from National Biodiversity Conservation Areas for local food markets.


ventral view of female Laotian giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis), adapted by Sci-News.com from Daosavanh Sanamxay et al. (2013): Sci-News.com: Breaking Science News @scinewscom, via Facebook Sept. 6, 2013

An article in Zootaxa July 15, 2013, by one scientist in England, two in Thailand and four in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) announces as wild discoveries Laotian giant flying squirrels.
Co-authors Paul J.J. Bates, Sara Bumrungsri, Bounsavane Douangboubpha, Daosavanh Sanamxay, Chutamas Satasook, Vilakhan Xayaphet and Sysouphanh Xayavong broach National Biodiversity Conservation Area animals that become bushmeat. Their article Rediscovery of Biswamoyopterus (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae: Pteromyini) in Asia, With the Description of a New Species From Lao PDR canvassed northern through southern Laos. National University of Laos researchers discerned a flying squirrel specimen of distinct colors, skull and teeth in Ban Thongnami, Pak Kading District, Bolikhamxai Province, central Laos.
Lead author Daosavanh Sanamxay and fellow Environmental Sciences faculty members Sysouphanh Xayavong and Vilakhan Xayaphet extracted an adult female specimen Sept. 22, 2012, from local markets.

The National University of Laos in Vientiane features their adult female specimen of Laotian giant flying squirrels as collection number FES.MM.12.163 dried skin and extracted skull.
Laotian giant flying squirrels such as the National University of Laos specimen get 17.91-inch (455-millimeter) head-body and 24.41-inch (620-millimeter) tail lengths and 63.49-ounce (1,800-gram) body masses. Their individual hairs hint of metallic ash from their bases 0.79 inches (20 millimeters) upward; 0.59-inch- (15-millimeter-) long red-brown middles; and 0.12-inch- (3-millimeter-) long black tips. Laotian giant flying squirrels, identified scientifically as Biswamoyopterus laoensis ("winged Biswami belonging to Laos") for Biswamoy Biswas (June 2, 1923-Aug. 10, 1994), impart dark-light, grizzled impressions.
The Pteromyini (from Greek πτερόν, "wing") and Sciuridae (from Greek σκιά, "shadow," οὐρά, "tail" and -ειδής, "-like") family member juggles body colors judicious for night hunts.

Laotian giant flying squirrels know grizzled, thick-haired black, gray, red-brown, white upper-sides and, with many definite but discontinuous black lines, grizzled, thick-haired gray, orange, white undersides.
Laotian giant flying squirrels look gray-white on their crowns and naked on their black-gray ears apart one black-, long-haired basal front-margin ear tuft and one rear-margin. They manifest large skulls with big eye sockets; close-aligned, large tympanic bullae ("hearing bubbles") whose 12-plus septae ("partitions") maintain complex honeycombed patterns; and short, wide muzzles. They net developed upper first and second molars and third premolars; larger upper fourth premolars than first molars; and yellow, not orange-pigmented, lower and upper incisors.
Laotian giant flying squirrels observe black, sharp-clawed limbs; and black cylindrical tails gray-patched basally underneath near black-lined, grizzled, thick-haired rear- to fore-limb patagium ("gold-bordered tunic") membranes.

Thongnami-area central Laotians poach in Khammouan Limestone and Nam Kading National Biodiversity Conservation Areas respectively 15.53 miles (25 kilometers) northwest and 3.11 miles (5 kilometers) southwest.
Laotian giant flying squirrels queue up as wildlife discoveries at 524.93- to 5,249.34-foot (160- to 1,600-meter) altitudes above sea level in karst limestone and semi-evergreen forests. They rank as recent wildlife discoveries related to Namdapha flying squirrels (Biswamoyopterus biswasi, "winged Biswamoy Biswas") 776.71 miles (1,250 kilometers) away in Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. Laos supports gray-headed (Petaurista elegans), hairy-footed (Belomys pearsonii), Indian (Petaurista philippensis), Indochinese (Hylopetes phayrei), particolored (H. alboniger), red-cheeked (H. spadiceus) and Yunnan (Petaurista yunnanensis) flying squirrels.
Habitat loss and hunting threaten endemic, rare bare-faced bulbuls (Pycnonotus hualon), Laotian giant flying squirrels, langurs (Trachypithecus laotum), limestone rats (Saxatiomys paulinae) and rat-squirrels (Laonastes aenigmamus).

Biswamoyopterus laoensis became the second species in Biswamoyopterus genus with the Sept. 22, 2012, discovery of a specimen in a bushmeat market in Bolikhamxai Province; Dec. 6, 2012; UNOSAT, United Nations, modified by Dr. Blofeld: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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

Image credits:
ventral view of female Laotian giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis), adapted by Sci-News.com from Daosavanh Sanamxay et al. (2013): Sci-News.com: Breaking Science News @scinewscom, via Facebook Sept. 6, 2013, @.https://www.facebook.com/scinewscom/photos/a.450071975032855/613113602062024/
Biswamoyopterus laoensis became the second species in Biswamoyopterus genus with the Sept. 22, 2012, discovery of a specimen in a bushmeat market in Bolikhamxai Province; Dec. 6, 2012; UNOSAT, United Nations, modified by Dr. Blofeld: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_Bolikhamsai_Province,_Laos.jpg

For further information:
Jordan, Mike J.R. "Squirrels and Relatives I Flying Squirrels (Pteromyinae)." In: Michael Hutchins, Devra G. Kleiman, Valerius Geist and Melissa C. McDade, eds., Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, Vol. 16 Mammals V: 135-142. Second edition. Farmington Hills MI: Gale Group, 2003.
Prostak, Sergio. 6 September 2013. "Biswamoyopterus laoensis: New Species of Flying Squirrel from Laos." Sci-News.com > Biology.
Available @ http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-biswamoyopterus-laoensis-new-species-flying-squirrel-laos-01361.html
Saha, Subhendu Sekhar. 1981. "A New Genus and a New Species of Flying Squirrels (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae) from Northeastern India." Bulletin of the Zoological Survey of India, vol. 4, no 3: 331-336.
Available @ http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/bulletin/004/03/0331-0336.pdf
Sanamxay, Daosavanh; Bounsavane Douangboubpha; Sara Bumrungsri; Sysouphanh Xayavong; Vilakhan Xayaphet; Chutamas Satasook; and Paul J.J. Bates. 15 July 2013. "Rediscovery of Biswamoyopterus (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae: Pteromyini) in Asia, with the Description of a New Species from Lao PDR." Zootaxa 3686(4): 471.481. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3686.4.5.
Available @ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283898290_Rediscovery_of_Biswamoyopterus_Mammalia_Rodentia_Sciuridae_Pteromyini_in_Asia_with_the_description_of_a_new_species_from_
Sci-News.com: Breaking Science News @scinewscom. 6 September 2013. "Biswamoyopterus laoensis: New Species of Flying Squirrel from Laos http://www.sci-news.com/…/science-biswamoyopterus-laoensis-…" Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/scinewscom/photos/a.450071975032855/613113602062024/