Moon favorites

[Naf]

G'day, I thought I'd expand Gregs post and ask do you have a favorite feature or crater, something hidden till the terminator slips past maybe, clear skies. :grin:

[nightfisher]

for me its Mare imbrium through to the Apeninnes region including plato, this whole area is dynamic and a very rich hunting ground for tricky features

[StarSapling]

Rimae Triesnecker and surrounding area.

[Vega]

Similar to nightfisher my fav area is Apennines, Plato, Sinus Iridum and the Alpine valley. Wonderful flat areas and also mountainous regions with plenty of conspicuous little peaks and rilles.

[ronl]

When Straight Wall is in view, all along that terminator is a wonderful sight,

especially when the seeing is good, I can spend the whole night taking my

time on so many targets, but there are so many favorite targets it's difficult

to choose just a few. 

[Astro Imp]

This is one of the most difficult questions I've seen posed on SGL. Trying hard to come up with an answer and every time I think I've cracked it another feature comes to mind. To me any time cruising along the terminator is mind blowing but if you really, really, really press me I have to say I don't know. 

[LukeSkywatcher]

My favourite area is Plato and Sinus Iridium. 

[philj]

Rima Higinus region, fascinating area, craterlets, rille, highlands and pyroclastic regions

[solo]

Ptolemaeus / Alphonsus / Arzachel  and surroundings. Stunning area brimming with crater chains. Love it.

Cheers. John.

[mikeDnight]

One of the features I'm most fond of is a fine rille that crosses the Alpine valley. This is not the rille that travels along the length of the valley, this rille crosses the valley across its width close to the half way point. It is best seen about a day or so after the terminator has crossed the region and extends for a some distance into the mountains on both sides of the valley. It is seen as a fine black line that twists its way through the lunar landscape. As it crosses the valley floor it zigzags as it is intercepted by the famous, but much more difficult to see central rille. It is very difficult to see when close to the terminator!

I like this thin, hair like rille because I discovered it for myself about 14 years ago as I was making a sketch of the region. I was using a 120mm achromat at the time with a magnification of around X120, so this is not a difficult target, it just requires observation at the right time.

Interestingly I was told by two eminent lunar experts that this rille does not exist. So, after just a little research I discovered that actually it does. Thomas Gwyn Elger observed this rille back in the 19th century. In Elgers book The Moon, on page 90, Elger mentions the cleft as being "visible in a 4" achromatic." He also mentions that "the cleft is not shown in maps of the moon."

I later found that in William Sheehan's book Epic Moon, there is a sketch of the rille and on the same page a orbiter image of my little rille that apparently does not exist.

Whenever I observe this region of the moon I smile to myself, thinking how these self appointed experts have failed to detect this beautiful little feature. And how they lack humility. All I can say is that they must be using some pretty awful telescopes.

I'm no lunar expert, in fact I'm far from it, I just enjoy observing the moon.

If you like a challenge have a go at finding this non existent rille. It is best to find it first as it breaks through the northern wall of the valley. Once you've found it you can then follow its sinuous meanderings on both sides of the valley.

Mike

[Naf]

Wow there are some familiar features to me(Mare Imbrium & Rima Higinus) , will definitately take up Mike's challenge and try to find the rille that crosses the Alpine Valley, please lets keep this going, I'm finding this fasinating and informative,thanks all,clear skies. :grin:

[mikeDnight]

There was also another fine rille extending from near the tip of the alpine valley into mare frigoris. Most modern moon maps are pitifully inadequate with regard to such detail. It is a long time since I've looked for this one so its precise location slips my mind at present. Possibly its on the opposit side of the valley to Trouvelot. However if the valley is studied over several nights it is bound to reveal itself as a fine dark line. Don't over power it, once the image becomes soft it could be lost. I think X120 to X180 would be adequate along with a dose of steady seeing of course.

Mike

[John]

I enjoy observing the rille that runs up the Alpine Valley but until now I've not been specifically aware of the one that crosses it. I'll have a look out for that next time the lunar illumination is favourable

Spotting the cratelets across the floor of Plato is a nice challenge. So far I've managed to spot "The Big Four", "The Little Four" and a couple of "The Tiny Nine" which are less than a mile in diameter.

While in the Mare Imbrium area I usually explore the Apollo 15 landing site near the Hadley Rille and Mount Hadley. This is in the Apennine Mountains on one edge of the Mare Imbrium. The Hadley Rille is very sinuous and winds around the feet of the hills.

Other favourites of mine include Rupes Recta, AKA "The Straight Wall" which is not so striaght when you apply some high magnification to it and the nearby craters of Birt with Birt A appearing to be scooped out of it's ramparts. The thin Rimae Birt is a nice little rille as well.

I also have to mention the fascinating crater pair of Messier and Messier A with their prominent straight pair of long rays and the pair of dark "tyre tracks" that run across the interior of Messier A.

[Alkaid]

Quite like Gassendi. Odd shape, with lots of rilles within.

[Johannes]

Hi all I like looking at Mare Imbrium Plato and surrounding areas