Nice Moon: 08-04-14

[John]

The Moon is looking excellent just now. The phase is great for viewing the Rupes Recta (Straight Wall) region and the Alpine Valley with the oblique light across Plato's floor picking out the ramparts of some of the craterlets. I've been able to glimpse a few sections of the rille in the Alpine Valley at 318x when the seeing settles. I'm using my 12" dob. Back at the crater Birt, near the Rupes Recta, the sinuous Rima Birt is worth looking out for too.

Some clouds scudding around but lots of decent size gaps too 

[knobby]

Its looking good tonight, just had 20 minutes with the 15 x 70s on a tripod

[Pig]

I see the Moon is very high up in the sky tonight John. I will try to get a viewing in and see if I can catch Rupes Recta,  if the clouds play ball !!!

[John]

I see the Moon is very high up in the sky tonight John. I will try to get a viewing in and see if I can catch Rupes Recta,  if the clouds play ball !!!

Good luck Shaun 

They are not playing ball so well here now. Hoping for more clear bits later for Mars.

[Pig]

Very nice indeed, thank you John I have managed to see it, it looks more like a fissure than a wall, maybe I should get the 9.25 out and have a zoom in

[John]

Yahoo !! - it's clear again here and the Moon is fabulous !!!

These are the best views I've perhaps ever had of the lunar surface and the sharpness and contrast is holding up really well even at 530x. 6mm Ethos and the 2x Powermate - simply breathtaking views 

I've managed to trace that tiny central rille in the Alpine Valley right along most of the length of the valley now including as it winds across the wider area at the highlands end. 

The chains of craters along the Hyginus Rille are beautifully defined and I've counted a dozen or more side by side along one section. 

The Straight Wall is far from straight with ramps, slumps and kinks showing along it's length.

Back in The Sea of Rains, Mounts Pico and Piton are complex masses with crests, gullies and ridges - Mt Piton reminds me a bit of Tolkiens map of The Lonely Mountain from The Hobbit ! 

Wonderful !!!!

What a pity we did not get some of this at SGL 9 

[Pig]

LoL way to go John   Wohooo indeed

It is brilliant I cannot believe it either scars, trails and a beautiful contrast.

Plato craterlets. flat floor craters, bowl craters and central peak craters.

Mars is looking great too very clear indeed Lots of greys and browns.

Its about time we had some of this treatment

[John]

I've got some more cloud just now but I'm hoping that will clear for when Mars gets above the neighbours rooftops. I've not had conditions like this for a long while, you can really throw almost silly magnification on and still get great results.

[Pig]

John I haven't took the Nagler 3-6mm out of the focuser tonight for the Moon and have been at 5mm setting a whopping 470 x mag and at times nearer to the 4mm setting.

I am definitely going to get a 5mm SLV for the Moon

[AlexB67]

moon was stunning, bless those little plato craterlets. I think I am up to 5 now, if the bigger one down near the edge  side is not cheating, anyway in the main crater I could see 4, and it seems two of them always show as on since they are so close. so is that one or two even though I see one ???, I know there should be two referencing the atlas but since it is presumably it is limited by resolution they collapse into one feature, you get my drift    . Anyhoo the moon is such a marvellous object.

but but but

point your scopes at Mars right now, unfortunately it just clouded, so had about 10 minutes on it. The best Iv'e seen it yet, since the scope had been out for a few hours as well and was very well settled. It is getting quite sizeable now. speaking of 5mm Shaun, The BGO 5mm provided marvellous contrast and sharp images, it looked like one of those images, the darker tints 0verus orange yellowish brownish tints, unreal display, so rich in detail and subtle colour variations, lost for words, what a cracking site. 

Just having a brew and hopefully there will be a hole in the clouds again.

[AlexB67]

... Speaking of 5mm Shaun, seemed like one of those nights if I had a 4mm I would use it on Mars, very still image tonight.

[John]

I've just packed up but had a good hour on Mars too. Very good seeing and detail on that little world as well - the "more interesting" side of the disk seemed to be on show tonight

With those two fine solar system objects garnished with what might be my final peek at the fading supernova "in a galaxy far, far away" I'm going to sleep a happy bunny tonight

[Pig]

Yes Alex, it was an excellent seeing tonight where extremes became the norm with magnification.   It is great to have the required tools to take full advantage when it happens. Great sights also stay etched into your memory and become the benchmark

[AndyWB]

Darn, due to it being a school night, I only took the 130p out, and it had only just settled by the end; I really didn't push the magnification beyond x130.

Did anyone see the ISS pass close to it at 2153? Here in Reading it seemed to nearly touch the edge of the disc - I'm sure 10 miles south and it'd have cross the moon. I tracked it with the scope - the solar panels were visible.

I thought Clavius looked great - with this little bit of the floor just illuminated, and two bright rings of the the craters within all bright. And near Stadius, there seemed to be this fuzz that must have been rough terrain right on the terminator.

I also watched Io start a transit. They really do move!

[Pig]

I didn't see the ISS but I did see one heck of a flash going from east to west in front of Sirius at 9:17pm

[Qualia]

I've just packed up but had a good hour on Mars too. Very good seeing and detail on that little world as well - the "more interesting" side of the disk seemed to be on show tonight

With those two fine solar system objects garnished with what might be my final peek at the fading supernova "in a galaxy far, far away" I'm going to sleep a happy bunny tonight

Lovely sentiments, John and glad you had a decent session in. Weather this week has also been good in Spain and those solar system objects are certainly putting on a great display. Many happy bunnies this week me thinks  Spring is in the air   

[Jim_M]

Last night around 2100 from Dartmouth NS.