: any of the high-density regions below the surface of lunar maria that are held to perturb the motion of spacecraft in lunar orbit
Examples of mascon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other large craters have what are known as mascons, short for mass concentrations.
—
National Geographic, 11 June 2019
Discovered in 1968 by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mascons show up in gravity maps as bullseyes—a central circle of strong gravity surrounded by a ring of weak gravity and then another ring of stronger gravity.
—National Geographic, 11 June 2019
Plus, the moon’s lopsided topography – riddled with mascons, or areas of dense material with higher-than-average gravitational pull – makes satellites’ orbits incredibly unpredictable.
—The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2017
The lunar crust formed around those craters, leaving mass concentrations (mascons) of gravity behind in some areas.
—Erin Blakemore, Smithsonian, 14 Mar. 2017
Plus, the moon’s lopsided topography — riddled with mascons, or areas of dense material with higher-than-average gravitational pull — makes satellites’ orbits incredibly unpredictable.
—The Washington Post, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
National Geographic, 11 June 2019
Discovered in 1968 by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mascons show up in gravity maps as bullseyes—a central circle of strong gravity surrounded by a ring of weak gravity and then another ring of stronger gravity.
—National Geographic, 11 June 2019
Plus, the moon’s lopsided topography – riddled with mascons, or areas of dense material with higher-than-average gravitational pull – makes satellites’ orbits incredibly unpredictable.
—The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2017
The lunar crust formed around those craters, leaving mass concentrations (mascons) of gravity behind in some areas.
—Erin Blakemore, Smithsonian, 14 Mar. 2017
Plus, the moon’s lopsided topography — riddled with mascons, or areas of dense material with higher-than-average gravitational pull — makes satellites’ orbits incredibly unpredictable.
—The Washington Post, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Mascon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mascon. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share