maw lod qan

Got home past my bedtime, 7:30 - 8:00, and saw the clouds had moved out leaving the moon showing nicely in the evening twilight. The terminator was positioned so the Mare Imbrium was perfect for viewing. To my surprise the air was clear enough I was able to use a 4mm and 1.5 Barlow. Plato lacked detail being too far out of line with the terminator, but smaller craters like Le Verrier and Helicon were excellent! This was the first time I just observed in some time, leaving the camera inside. For almost thirty minutes I took in the smaller craterlets and distinct ridges that had formed on the lava surface. Researching later, I found it amazing they believe this Mare was formed by an impact by a planetoid 50 miles in size. Makes me glad we weren't around to witness the Heavy bombardment period!

Regardless of not being able to mine, just that more of a reason to "GO BACK!"! There is so much we're still guessing about. The idea of such a large heavy mass sinking to the core is amazing. Would have to have been quite hot and soft still. Then to be so cold now. But billions of years it a long time.

Nice images. I like this area and am constantly trying to get better views, but the terminator, timing and viewing conditions keep me from doing so. That's an Apollo landing area and has an incredible rille that looks incredible in the images I've seen.

Amazing talent!

What is the most Southern lat could you see them? The images of them are quite beautiful.

Thank you Gina. Been a bit worried about expressing my opinion. I've always joked though, opinions are like butts. We all have one.

Take it from me, most of us older Americans are, let me simply say, unhappy with the way we've looked at not just our future, but all of the human races future. I could go I to a very political rant about our decline in the exploration of space, but I wont. I guess what drove the continued exploration of the rest of the world by the fleets that set sail over the distant, flat horizon, was the dream of unbelievable rewards. Sadly, we sooner rather than later have to realize our survival and future doesn't depend on how much we earn versus how much we've spent. Somehow, we've got to find a way to get over the pettiness that has been the status quo. We can do this if we can just find a way to be satisfied with what we have.

Interesting. Quite amazing to see just how little we know and what we still have to learn about our nearest neighbor.

Incredible images!

Lovely image. Our evenings have been a washout. Our rainy season started 6/1 and its living up to its reputation.

Incredible detail.

A very nice report! I still struggle in my attempt to visually find Uranus with my 8" dob. But then, I struggle to find many things. I am enjoying the fun of the hunt. I have done 4 in one morning session. Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the Earth.

Very nice. I do like viewing the Jovian system and your sketch reminds me of just what I see. Oh how I envy those with an artistic talent.

I like it! Isn't it a given, marriages cycle back and forth, like the phases of the moon, between the sea of crisis and the sea of tranquility?

I think it's related to spending money. Bought a 2" eyepiece and could use it for three weeks.

I made dew heaters from nicad wire, duct tape and a PWM to control the temperature. Hook it all up to a 12V lawnmower battery that has a small solar trickle charger keeping it full. I do have to be careful to keep the PWM turned down low or it will get very hot. Even run the small fans to keep the secondary clear off the battery.

Thank you for the wonderful photograph and information. History, and those directly involved in making it are such an important things. "Lest we never forget"! And more important, may we learn from it and never make the same mistake again. I have a cherished collection from the European theater my father brought home.

Why would you want to come back?? Haven't you noticed how this planet is going to the dumps? And I won't mention the problem with light pollution! Be like the old days. If you improve a piece of land, yours!

I got one also. Not sure if I got a window seat though. I love to look out when I fly.

Welcome. You will be very surprised how many meteors you will see if you start watching for them. You have to be out at night and looking up. One sure bet is to be setting up your camera hoping to get images of a meteor. Almost always will see one when you are not ready, or looking in the opposite direction the camera is pointing. But I'm always happy to witness one!

Working this morning after 5 days off in a row. Once again, the view of the sky as I headed out, with Bortle 4/3, was great! Was lucky enough to get in 2 hours yesterday starting at 2am. Jupiter and Saturn were good for as hot and humid it was here in Florida.

Nice image. Although we normally hate them, clouds do add a very artistic touch to such a nice image. And the mention of M4 was appreciated. I've been viewing that area a lot in the mornings and see many 'fuzzies' but become a bit overwhelmed trying to identify them seeing so many more stars in the fov. The old adage, forest for the trees.

I see it often and it's almost always NW to SE. Been trying to image it using prime focus with my Canon, but am still in the learning curve period. Oh my does it scoot across the sky. No time for any adjusting of ISO or shutter speed. I would (I hate using this word) assume, that course makes it fly over the entire Earths surface at some point. I don't know about you, but it gives me a thrill every time I get to see it!

I don't image yet like so many here, but I hope to fiddle in it a bit. This will be a problem, but already the little wide field I do has an incredible number or satellites and aircraft. With that said, don't forget how this might help those with no internet, which the number might astound you. Where I live in Florida, my only affordable option is satellite driven internet, or dialup, and with cellphones, landline service is slowly going the way of the dinosaurs.

Most of my all night meteor attempts I use a hand warmer packet in a cloth holder tied to the camera lenses. It lasts all night during our milder nights. On much colder nights when it gets below 40°F I use 2 packets.