Moon Light nights

[aderyn]

I've really been enjoying the recent clear skies but the best thing has been the moon - no need to worry about red light, just a torch and a moon map and a happy couple of hours every night for more than a week, just finding my way around another section of a new world each time. I've only managed to catch occasional bits of a lunation up to now, but this has been a treat, to watch the surface emerge from one evening to the next, features highlighted one night then disappearing into the brightness by the next. I was so excited to see the Straight Wall right on the terminator a couple of nights back, with just the top of Birt shining beyond it. (Couldn't help wondering what it would be like to stand on the edge of that and look at the blackness below and the bright crater rim in the distance...). I even managed to find it again last night, as an incredibly faint thread of black, once I knew where to look.

Mare Imbrium and Plato have looked marvellous - I like Plato a lot - and Mons Pico was so brilliant as it came into view, it was hard to believe it's only reflecting light. The promontory on the eastern side of Sinus Iridum must be pretty high, as it was still casting shadow tonight, when everything else around was flattened in full light.

I'm also pretty sure that I could make out a couple of the smaller craterlets along the Hyginus rille a couple of nights ago, during moments of steady seeing, which I thought were beyond the capability of my pretty modest scope (might have been the 'eye of wishful thinking' though :?). (Need a barlow ... need a bigger scope!)

Gassendi and Mare Humorum were terrific last night, with the western edge of the mare just on the terminator. I couldn't think what this area reminded me of - the broken highlands with shadows and bright edges surrounding the flat grey floor - eventually realised that it looks rather like a limpet's mark on a barnacle covered rock, a flat space surrounded by small rough shells. The seeing was really quite good and there was a real sense of depth, a 3d quality to the view. In contrast, tonight's seeing was flat and rather wobbly - focus seemed really difficult to obtain and there was more water vapour in the atmosphere. However, I did manage to find Vallis Shroteri, thanks to my map, having initially mistaken it for a drowned crater rim.

Hope we'll still have decent skies for the lunar eclipse (only seen one once before) but even if not, I will definitely be coming back to visit the Moon again!

Louise

[Talitha]

:thumbup: Thanks Louise, what a wonderful report.. it felt as though I was sitting next to you! I'm so glad you had the chance to watch the Moon night after night, let's hope the clear skies hold out for the eclipse. And thanks for making me look up 'limpet'.. that area of the Moon will never look the same to me again.

[jgs001]

Louise, that's a nicely written report. Sounds like you've been having a great time with the moon.

[algol]

hi guys, am on the verg of getting a scope and was wondering, when using my binos it gets whited out a lot and the details are hard to make out.

with a scope is a lunar filter a must for moonwatching? i'd love to see the detail that some of you guys have achieved on here.

and the passion that louise seems to have, god if i get half as passionate as that ill be a happy fella

[jgs001]

I currently don't have one, but to stop the glare being a problem, I just left all the lights in the house on and used a nice bright white torch. Stops the eyes dark adapting and yet you can still see plenty on the moon. I have a Baader fringe killer on my Acrho Refractor to get rid of the pruple fringing, and that gives the moon a slight yellowish cast which probably also helps somewhat.

[DSO]

I have found my moon filter to be very useful. It cuts out most of the glare and lets me see a lot of surface details which would otherwise be washed out. Cutting down the brightness makes it a lot easier on the eye as well.

Bernard

[The Warthog]

Very nice report, Louise! I have had a couple of lunations when I could be out almost every night, but not this winter. I'll look forward to your next one.

[Sam]

Great report Louise - the moon has been spectacular over the last view days and the chance to observe it every night has been quite unique.

[aderyn]

Thank you for all the kind comments, everyone! I'm still very new to observation - wish I'd started years ago - so much to see, so few clear nights…

Carol – I hope I haven’t upset your view of M Humorum! I live by the coast and limpets and barnacles cover the rocks along the shore here. Once I’d noticed the resemblance, I couldn’t resist it …

JSG – your terrific reports have been the spur to make me dig out the Lunar 100 list and get going. I’m way behind you at the moment, though – I feel I need to go back to the beginning and really look properly…. Just hope we get a chance to see the moon again this year

Glad to say I had some luck with the eclipse last night - I'm posting that separately.

Cheers

Louise

[Talitha]

Carol – I hope I haven’t upset your view of M Humorum! I live by the coast and limpets and barnacles cover the rocks along the shore here. Once I’d noticed the resemblance, I couldn’t resist it …

Not in the least, Louise!

I'd always thought the wrinkle ridges in Mare Humorum looked like waves slowly rolling towards a shore, and the added imagery of limpets and barnacles enhances the nautical theme... how enchanting!

[jgs001]

Louise, thanks for the comment. I'm sure you'll catch me up really quickly.