lunar latitude
- noun
- Specialized
:
latitud lunar
- Scientists have discovered water ice in craters near the lunar latitude of 80 degrees.
Examples
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The demonstrably low and stable temperatures at high lunar latitudes should permit the establishment of infrared observatories, including infrared interferometers.
Academic text (2000) -
The Apollo missions landed at carefully selected latitudes to ensure safe exploration of the lunar surface.
-
Mapping the Moon's surface involves analyzing data from various latitudes to understand its geology.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'lunar' (relating to the Moon) and 'latitude' (a north–south angular position), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the Moon's latitude. Although the term is technical, the same conceptual formation (planetary/solar body + latitude) is common cross-linguistically, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Lunar latitude comes from the simple idea of imaginary lines around the Moon: lunar means the Moon and latitude are lines parallel to the equator that show how far north or south a place is. So, lunar latitude tells the 'north-south position' of a point on the Moon.
