Due to its location, the visibility of this feature can be affected by libration, and on occasion it can be hidden from view from Earth.

[3] The lighter gray area to the southeast of the dark mare material is a region of hills within the basin.

The rim of this basin forms a mountain range that can be seen under oblique lighting conditions.

The mascon was first identified by Doppler tracking of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft.

That's why Johann Mädler named it after Alexander von Humboldt, a prominent explorer of unknown lands.