Plato and the Pantheon of Ancient Science and Philosophy on the Moon
The beginning of the lunar onomastics dates back to the mid-17th century. The first map of the Moon with the names of objects was made by M. van Langren (1645). The lunar craters were named in honor of many different persons, including European monarchs and aristocrats, but also of scientists, mostly mathematicians and astronomers. There were 21 antique names on the map, 14 of craters and 7 of other objects (three harbours, three capes, and one bay). Most of the names given in honorof scientists are concentrated in the Northern part of the lunar disk, close to Mare Astronomicum. Antique names are present on two more parts of the lunar surface. The Hypatia crater is located near Mare Evgenianum (after Infanta Eugenia) and craters bearing other female names. In the South-Eastern part near Mare Langrenianum is another group of objects bearing antique names, most of them related to the history of calendar. The modern system of lunar names dates back to the map of the Moon compiled by J. Riccioli and F. Grimaldi and published in the New Almagest (1651). There are more than 200 names of craters. These include the names of scientists only. They are arranged chronologically from North to South and grouped on a national basis. Antique names include 6 mythological, 49 Greek, and 11 Roman ones (66 total). The name Plato was given to the large dark crater in the Northern part. Next to it is the crater Timaeus; opposite it and to the right, the crater Aristoteles. Their location on the map corresponds to the location of the figures of these philosophers in Raphael’s fresco The School of Athens. All the names of the craters of the Riccioli map are still in use.