Bliss (crater)

Bliss is a ring-like feature on the surface of the Moon that lies to the south of Plato crater, between Plato and Mons Piton. It has the appearance of a ghost-crater; a lunar crater that has been nearly completely submerged by flows of lava, but its actual nature is not yet clear. Due to the low elevation of this feature, it is best viewed when the surface is receiving oblique illumination. I.e. when the terminator is nearby.

In the 1790s, Johann Schröter gave this feature the name of Newton, after Sir Isaac Newton. However the name was later transferred by Wilhelm Beer and Johann Mädler to the present day Newton crater, and thus this feature was thereafter informally referred to as "Ancient Newton". In 2000, the IAU named this feature after Nathaniel Bliss, the 4th Astronomer Royal. He was the only Astronomer Royal who had not until then received the honor of a named feature or astronomical body. (This revision was announced by the XXIV^th general assembly of the IAU, on August 15, 2000.) This new name for the feature was originally suggested by Patrick Moore.

Note that the official selenographic coordinates of this crater place it to the west of Plato, which conflicts with the written described of the location. As a result, some sources have also referred to this feature as 'Plato A', a crater to the west of Plato, due to the close proximity of their catalogued coordinates. The explanation for this discrepancy remains unclear.