astroavani

Photo made to compare how many small craterlets can be seen with a photo taken on Earth 350 thousand km away and another taken by LROC which orbits the Moon 50 km away. I counted about 70 craterlets on mine, but there are more!

There are many images of the Lunar South Pole, I myself have few photos of the North Pole. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the south is extremely cratered and this makes the photos very impactful. However, we cannot deny that the North also has some incredible formations such as Plato, Vallis Alpes, Montes Caucasus and why not also mention MARE HUMBOLDTIANUM which in this photo, due to a good libration in latitude, perfectly shows its mountains in the background. This is a photo to look at in original size, this is the only way it shows all the details that deserve to be seen.

A beautiful photo with great framing, I liked seeing the details on the linar surface that were in shadow.

On the few open nights, the vision has made any capture very difficult, so much so that I simply ignored and discarded the captures I take with the ASI 662MC in favor of the captures I took in Infrared with the ASI 290MM where at least I can obtain good details. In this particular photo, I believe I managed to capture the brightest albedo point on Ganymede that corresponds to the crater Tros.

This year in the south of Brazil we are facing the problem of El Nino, the number of open nights is being very limited, I believe it is one of the worst in the last 10 years. Even on the few open nights, seeing has been making any capture very difficult, so much so that I have simply ignored and discarded the captures I take with the ASI 662MC in favor of the captures I have made in the Infrared where at least I can obtain good details. In this particular photo, I believe I managed to capture the brightest albedo spot on Ganymede that corresponds to the Tros crater.

Yes, I always do that. I use Winjupos both to compare the planet's position in relation to satellites and to get the CM coordinates. I always use the camera in exactly the same position as the focuser so that the image is in the same position as it appears in Winjupos, it was a habit I developed over time.

Neptune Photo taken in average conditions, even so I believe that some of the visible spots are real, 3 films were taken with an interval of 5 minutes and when I passed them in sequence I could see that some were moving along with the planet. The logical conclusion is that a C14 has enough aperture to resolve spots on a 2.4" arc star, so I believe they are real.

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the solar system. It has an impressive 145 moons. It is the most distant planet visible to the naked eye from Earth, but the planet's most striking features – its rings – are best seen through a telescope. Although the solar system's other gas giants—Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune—also have rings, Saturn's rings are particularly prominent, earning it the nickname “Ringed Planet.” Saturn has been known since ancient times and has been observed by cultures around the world. The planet is visible to the naked eye and to ancient cultures it appeared as a bright light shifting between the stars. There are countless names and mythologies associated with the planet. If you're wondering what kind of planet Saturn is, it's a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn's volume is greater than 760 Earths and it is the second most massive planet in the solar system, about 95 times the mass of Earth. The Ringed Planet is the least dense of all the planets and is the only one less dense than water. If there was a bathtub big enough to contain it, Saturn would float. The yellow and gold bands seen in Saturn's atmosphere are the result of super-fast winds in the upper atmosphere, which can reach up to 1,100 mph (1,800 km/h) around its equator, combined with heat rising from the planet's interior. . Saturn rotates about once every 10.5 hours. The planet's high-speed rotation causes Saturn to bulge at the equator and flatten at the poles. The planet is about 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometers) across at its equator and 68,000 miles (109,000 km) from pole to pole. Galileo Galilei was the first to see Saturn's rings in 1610, although through his telescope the rings looked more like handles or arms. Forty-five years later, in 1655, Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, who possessed a more powerful telescope, later proposed that Saturn had a thin, flat ring. Today we know that many planets and even some smaller bodies have rings. Examples include Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune. As scientists developed better instruments, they continued to learn more about the structure and composition of rings. In fact, Saturn has many rings made of billions of particles of ice and rock, ranging in size from a grain of sugar to the size of a house. The particles are believed to be the remains of destroyed comets, asteroids or moons. A 2016 study also suggested that the rings may be the carcasses of dwarf planets. The largest ring measures 7,000 times the diameter of the planet. The main rings are normally only about 9 meters thick, but the Cassini-Huygens probe has revealed vertical formations in some of the rings, with particles accumulating in protrusions and ridges more than 3 km high. The rings are named alphabetically in the order they were discovered. The main rings, which originate from the planet, are known as C, B and A. The innermost is the extremely faint D ring, while the outermost so far, revealed in 2009, is so large it could accommodate a billion Earths. inside him. . The Cassini Division, a gap about 4,700 km wide, separates the B and A rings. Mysterious rays have been seen in Saturn's rings, which appear to form and disperse in just a few hours. Scientists have conjectured that these beams could be composed of electrically charged sheets of dust-sized particles created by the impact of small meteors on the rings, or by electron beams from the planet's lightning strikes. Saturn's F Ring also has a curious braided appearance. The ring is made up of several narrower rings, and curves, folds and shiny tufts in them can give the illusion that these strands are braided. Asteroid and comet impacts have also altered the appearance of the rings. At the end of its mission, the Cassini probe traveled closer to the rings than any other probe. The probe collected data that is still under analysis, but has already provided insights into the colors of some of Saturn's moons. In the gaps between the rings, the probe found unusually complex chemicals in the “ring rain” of debris falling from the rings into the atmosphere and made new measurements of the planet's magnetic field, which produces a powerful current of electrons. Saturn is always losing its rings, but very slowly. They are not disappearing at a rate that we could clearly see with a telescope from Earth, but as the rocks and ice in the rings move around Saturn, they are [slowly] losing chunks on Saturn as gravity pulls them away. attracts. PS: No defeat, no mask to highlight the Moons. Just a slight gamma correct + around the Moon to increase the brightness a bit. 100 sec film capturing around 10 thousand frames and stacking 3,400.

Pythagoras is a magnificent example of a lunar crater. It is 129 km in diameter and is very close to the northwest branch of the Moon and, as a consequence, appears greatly shortened to us on Earth, changing shape due to the effects of lunar libration. The crater rim is surrounded by sloping walls that rise gently above their surroundings. The terrace appears to descend to a relatively flat floor approximately 3 miles below. If the Moon were rotated 65° to the south, Pythagoras would replace Copernicus as the most impressive visible crater. Aside from the obvious central mountain complex that sits at the center of the crater, the floor shows little detail until the lighting becomes oblique, at which time a large number of hills are visible which are visible in the photo to the left of the central peaks. Surprisingly, the highest central peaks, rising about 3 km from the bottom of the floor, are higher than some of the surrounding terrain, in violation of Mädler's Rule. This rule has never been confirmed with modern data, but it seems certain. Unlike Copernicus, Pythagoras does not appear to have withheld his rays when viewed at full moon. Its greatest age was recognized during the Apollo era when it was mapped to be the same age as the ancient Imbrium lavas. One thing ancient astronomers didn't know is that the central peaks of Pythagoras, like those of Anaxagoras, Philolaus and Carpenter, contain pure anorthosite, remnants of ocean magma. Like Moretus near the south pole, Pythagoras offers an oblique view of what large fresh complex craters really look like. If we were looking a billion years ago, when the two polar craters were cool with the rays very evident, Copernicus would still be hot with molten lava on the ground, and Tycho in this case would still be 900 million years in the future.

It's great to know that!

Anyone who looks at this photo and sees the beauty of Marius crater and its surroundings doesn't even notice the Herodotus Omega dome, in fact most of us put deep sky observation on hold when lunar glare intrudes on dark skies. But why, instead of limiting your telescope, don't you take the opportunity to observe the Moon itself? The waxing moon phase is a good time to familiarize yourself with one of our satellite's most evocative features: its domes. Many of the Moon's characteristic landscapes were created by the impact. Craters, rays, mountain ranges, seas and basins abound. Lunar domes are different. They formed as a result of the Moon's own internal volcanism. Similar to shield volcanoes in Iceland and Hawaii (including Mauna Kea on the Big Island) and Olympus Mons on Mars, they form when highly fluid lava erupts through a central caldera on the surface. They are almost all low-explosive, unlike their cousins, Earth's more violent stratovolcanoes that grab headlines. Like sheet after sheet piled up after lava seeps beneath the crust, a dome slowly builds up over time, forming a wide, gently sloping mound resembling a warrior's shield with a raised center and lower edge. Shield volcanoes can be small, like the Icelandic and lunar varieties, or wide and huge, like Olympus Mons. A typical lunar dome measures between 5 and 7.5 miles (8-12 km) in diameter with a peak or caldera ~900 feet (~300 meters) high. The slopes are very gentle with only a few degrees. The Marius Hills region was volcanically very active in the past and contains numerous volcanic features, including winding riles north of Marius, as well as numerous hills that are actually domes and can be seen quite clearly in my photo. In this region there is also a well, probably a cave that was identified for the first time in images from the SELENE/Kaguya probe, which I already described in another post on AstroBin, and can be found here: https://www.astrobin .com/322549/?q=Marius.%20astroavani More than 300 lunar domes are known, many visible in amateur telescopes with apertures from 3 inches upwards. There are two key requirements for good observation of a dome - good atmospheric stability (seeing) and observing the dome near the terminator shortly after lunar sunrise or before sunset as was done in this photo with the Domes of Marius and Herodotus Omega, this one being particularly easy to identify with good seeing even with a small telescope, as it is 10 km wide and has a hole in the center Most domes are subtle, low-contrast features that become scorching with poor seeing. Low light casts long shadows on crater peaks and rims, and makes their gently sloping shapes have the best contrast. You will be more excited when you can see the caldera. When you see the dome hole, you really see a dome for what it is: a formerly active volcano in the days when the moon still had intense geological activity. The next time you go to observe the Moon near the terminator, do not forget to pay attention to those rounded shapes that easily stand out in relation to the surrounding terrain, do not forget that one day the Moon had its active volcanoes and even today it is far away of being the dead world that many believe.

First of all I want to say that I feel honored to be one of the chosen ones, I want to congratulate my colleague Peter and Astroscot for having their images chosen, they really are very good. Secondly, I would like to make a confession: Of all the photos I sent, I personally thought that Moretus was the photo that best fit this challenge, the feeling of landing and then being able to walk to the horizon between Mounts M4 and M5 is very accentuated. In addition, it transmits a very evident 3D sensation, as has been well commented. below the same photo showing the position of mounts M4 and M5.

This image was also chosen as AAPOD²: https://www.aapod2.com/blog/iqkrnbzq44p ... xfvfmomkvl Avani

In fact, I've been a teacher for 30 years, I've been retired for more than 10 years. Thanks for the comment

How about photographing the same location in completely different lighting angles? The attached photos were taken 4 months apart and with the sun in exactly opposite positions. In the photo above we have the Sun to the east, rising in Plato and Valiis Alps, the photo below was taken with the Sun to the west, there the Sun is setting in the same region. Photos in these conditions and of such magnitude, sublimely show the differences that the Moon offers us at every moment and show us that one day will never be the same as the other. Plato is one of the main targets of lunar astrophotography. A good photo of Plato should show at least 3 or 4 smaller craters present on its floor, always in a darker hue than the surrounding terrain. But every good self-respecting astrophotographer knows that it's not easy to make these small craters appear on your floor, and for that to happen certain conditions must be met. Firstly, an opening of no less than 250mm is ideal, not that it is impossible to register them with 200mm or even 180mm, but with 250mm it is much easier. Secondly, the angle of incidence of sunlight must also be observed, if the terminator is too low and close, the contrast is too great making it difficult to record, if on the other hand the sun is too high, the smaller craters do not form shadows which it also makes it impossible to register them. I believe that the ideal is the Sun at an altitude of 30° to 45° so the contrast is not so great and shadows are still formed, facilitating their perception. Thirdly, we must pay attention to seeing, with a bad seeing any recording is almost impossible, as these small craters disappear when the turbulence is strong. Focus I won't talk because any mistake ends with a good result! As a general rule, in order to get an impressive photo of at least some of these small craters, they would have to be briefly visible during real-time computer screen capture. If so, we learned that after the best stacked frames, these small craters will show up perfectly as seen in the attached photo. Vallis Alpes, in the south of Mare Frigoris, not far from Cassini crater and Plato's Great Eastern Plain, is one of the most spectacular valleys on the moon. Seen in this image, Vallis Alpes (Alpine Valley) is a feature that extends 166 km from Mare Imbrium, running northeast to the edge of Mare Frigoris. This valley was discovered in 1727 by Francesco Bianchini. The valley is narrow at both ends and widens in the center to be about 10 kilometers in diameter. The bottom of the valley has a flat, lava-flooded surface with a narrow 'channel' winding through the middle. This channel is generally thought of as a "graben", an area between two parallel faults that have fallen below the surrounding area. The narrow inner channel is believed to have formed after the formation of the Imbrium basin, after the lava flows into the sea. It probably corresponds to a 'lava tube' that collapsed in a later geological episode due to the high velocity and low viscosity of the magma. It is very interesting to know that channels are common on the moon, considered one of the most fascinating volcanic features due to their wide range of scales (from 100 meters to over 100 km in length) and the morphologies they present (linear, curved or sinuous). . Channels typically form when lava flows erode the existing surface, melting the substrate, removing mechanical material, or a combination of thermal and mechanical processes. However, some may have been lava tubes, rilles, that suffered roof collapse after their formation. Trying to detect this relatively narrow and winding channel that runs along the bottom of Vallis Alpes is one of the favorite challenges of lunar observers, its exact dimensions have not been determined, but its vision is a very satisfactory test, as are the small craterlets on the Plato floor. . I hope these tips are of some use to anyone like me who likes to venture into lunar photography! PS: The bottom photo is just the result of stacking in AS!3 with a sharpness of 60% and nothing else. There is no post processing, Registax, Astrosurface, Photoshop or any other editing program was not used, nor was brightness or contrast adjusted. I've been developing a capture line on lunars for years to avoid any post processing as much as possible, I'm almost there. Avani Soares (Astroavani)

Clavius

Albategnius

Stofler

Walter

Alphonsus

Vallis Alpes

Plato

Tycho

Abaixo segue uma sequência de fotos tiradas com C14 em f/22 (7820mm) com câmera ASI 290MM e filtro Long Pass 610nm, todas na mesma noite de 13 de março de 2023, sempre empilhando 350 quadros de um total de 5000. moretus

Imagine yourself in orbit around the Moon, preparing to land on Mare Crisium a few hours before the long lunar night. I think that would be the view you would have! At this exact phase, one or two days after the full moon, the mountains to the east stand out in a stupendous way and you would only have to thank for such a privileged view. On the waning moon the mountains to the east stand out very sharply giving a true 3D sensation. Mare Crisium is one of the easiest places to spot on the moon. It is a lunar impact basin, about 555 km in diameter and an area that was flooded due to the impact of a large asteroid about 3.9 billion years ago (Nectarian Period). It is located in the northeast quadrant of the visible side of the Moon and, as it is extensive, it can be easily seen and located, even with the naked eye. The waxing and waning Moon periods are more favorable for viewing, as the low-angle sunlight easily illuminates its details. Generally, lunar basins are named after Giovanni Riccioli, the 17th-century Italian astronomer who devised the current system of lunar naming, and Mare Crisium, too, is named for him. Although its floor is broad and visually smooth, the sea material is characterized by irregular ridges, incomplete crater rims, and a rough surface. Its edge is exclusive, due to its solids. It has a slight morphological similarity with areas of probable pyroclastic (volcanic) origin. It is the only one on the visible face of the Moon that is not connected to other seas. An interesting reference is Picard, a beautiful crater located in Mare Crisium, more precisely in the southwest, close to the center of Crisium. There are two craters with almost buried low rims, a little further southwest than Picard, called Yerkes and Lick. Take a closer look at the many mountains scattered to the east that make this place extremely interesting to observe or photograph at high magnifications. I did some serious research on the LAC maps but I was only able to safely identify the 3 mountains that are indicated in the photo. Mons Usov is a small lunar mountain located in the southeastern part of Mare Crisium, north of the Condorcet crater and northeast of the Agarum Promontory. It is essentially a part of the mountainous rim of the Crisium basin, but like the Alhazen alpha and beta mounts it appears somewhat isolated because of the flooding of the basin by basalt from the sea. It was formally named in 1979, in honor of Soviet geologist Mikhail Antonovich Usov. Due to the landing of the Soviet Luna 24 mission in Crisium, in 1976, it was possible to collect samples of the local soil, thus facilitating its study. My friend Chuck Wood comments in a 2013 article on LPOD; "This is the Russian corner of the Moon because two Lunas have already landed." C14 f/11 + ASI 290MM + IR Pass 685 Mare crisium, March-08-2023; 04:25 you Parsec Observatory, Brazil (-30ºS, -051.17ºW) Source: LPOD/Cienctec, Astrobin/Avani Soares, LROC/NASA Text and photo: Avani Soares