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Moon fan? Or no Moon fan?

greglloyd

By greglloyd
in The Astro Lounge

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spike95609

spike95609

Posted
Posted

I like the Moon, it's an alien world and we can see it! What I do find annoying is that clouds seem to gather during a new moon and vanish again when it's full, so DSO hunting is always problematic. I'm learning though to just observe whatever the conditions allow me to observe.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

Posted
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Oddly enough i am a Moon fan but not when observing with the aide of a scope or bins. I just love gazing at it with the naked eye(s). I particularly enjoy the way it bathes the land in a blue/white hue on nights when it is full. Other times it just amazes me, like when it is rising and it looks huge and brown/yellow when close to the horizon. I really enjoyed it a few months back when there was a "Super Moon". Visually it was the 1st time i'd ever noticed it and knew right off that it was a super moon. I's say it appeared 25-30% bigger then usual. The difference was so big that for the first time in my life i actually saw craters on the surface with my naked eyes. When i say i saw craters, i mean i saw them as well defined circular shapes. Tycho literally jumped out at me, not just the ejecta surrounding it but the crater walls also.

Amazing.

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Naf

Naf

Posted
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G'day Greg, I have found that you need to turn a negative into a positive and during the moons phases that interupt DSO observations take the opportunity to observe the moon and all it has to offer along with the Planets( Jupiter, Saturn & Mars) and maybe try imaging a few of the many great craters, rilles and other features. Then after full moon and over new moon return to your favorite DSO, after all there's not anything you can do to change this, so perhaps a comprimise? Clear skies. :grin: :grin:

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sbooder

sbooder

Posted
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Out of all the bits of kit I have bought myself over the years, I must say that my 2 Polarising filters for the Moon (1, 1.25" & the other 2") are my two favourite toys.  They have opened the Moon to me at its fullest, and new topography I could not see before is shown as the terminator drops off the edge.

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A40farinagolf

A40farinagolf

Posted
Posted

I agree with Naf @ thread #82.

I relish the thought of the new moon arriving and then following it through it's phases, the fact that it's in synchronous rotation with the earth is brilliant, the fact that it's size and position relative to earth is just perfect for creating a total solar eclipse, the fact that it wobbles and you can see approx. 60% of it - what more can you ask for?

However I also look forward to the darker skies when I can follow DSO and the planets, this way I can't lose as there's always something wonderful to see - simple outlook but effective.

Next I'll be saying even clouds look nice but that's pushing it a little.

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nightfisher

nightfisher

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Hands up all those who have seen M31 in their telescope. OK now hands up those who have examined every visible crater etc on the Moon.  Thought so!, still plenty to see yet.   :smiley:   

I confess, as a Moon fan i still have a lot of Luna detail to see and study, and to be honest with our fickle climate i dont expect to achieve this in my lifetime

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Luke

Luke

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Big fan, less so when I was doing DSO imaging, but I sort of rediscovered the Moon after giving up DSO and switching to solar system imaging. I could now get by with sun and moon alone, though no plans to give up on deep sky observing yet. I find sun and moon compliment each other well.

The sun gives me the dynamic, the changing, the unexpected. The moon has features I have grown to love, they feel like old friends just like the constellations do. The changing illumination and libration spices things up making features better to look at at certain times.

Both make great photographic targets, you can use as small a scope as you like, take an image in seconds, image untracked, they have a lot going for them.

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nytecam

nytecam

Posted
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This thread again reveals the difference between observers and imagers. Visual observers can enjoy both Moon and no Moon, imaging requires patience to wait for the specific opportunity so the Moon's appearance can be testing. Unless of course you are a lunar imager.  :smiley:

This is an interesting thread and samples SGL members who seem on average to LIKE the moon - Peter's comments shows the split of AP v visual.

I'm into DSOs but in very brief exps for EAA -the moon is only LP within a few days of full. From time to time the moon gets my full attention - it's not going away any time soon :-)

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