Treasures of the RAS: The woman in the Moon - Cassini's lunar map

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In this edition of Treasures of the RAS, Librarian Jenny Higham introduces the first scientific map of the Moon, made by Giovanni Cassini in 1679.

This detailed engraving of the surface of the Moon was based on Cassini's own observations made with a telescope.

The features are an accurate representation of the Moon as Cassini saw it -- apart from a mysterious woman's head, which is hidden among the mountains and craters on the engraving.