mascon

noun

mas·​con ˈma-ˌskän 

: any of the high-density regions below the surface of lunar maria that are held to perturb the motion of spacecraft in lunar orbit

Example Sentences

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

Word History

Etymology

mas(s) entry 2 + con(centration)

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above