Clavius on a 68% moon

[FenlandPaul]

I had plans originally to stay up nice and late tonight and get the dob out for a bit, but a sequence of bad sleeps and a heavy schedule at work meant that I opted instead for a bit of lunar with the AR127L.  It was one of my new year resolutions to get reacquainted with our satellite but thus far I hadn't acted on that with any gusto.  Having downloaded and printed the Lunar Field Atlas in mirror image format a couple of weeks ago I now had no excuse.

 

I set the scope up at about 8.30pm, well before sunset.  I decided I'd just scoot around the lunar disk and see what took my fancy.  My eye was drawn fairly swiftly to the Clavius area near the southern polar region, which seemed favourably presented just inside the terminator.  Observations used a TV 11mm plossl in a Revelation 2x Barlow, giving a magnification of about x266.

 

The shadow on the eastern side seemed to extend around 20-25 miles inwards from the rim.  Craterlets D, C and N, which sit inside the main crater, were all clearly visible with bright rims but dark centres, save for bright arcs of daylight on their western floors.  Between C and N, just to the south, appeared a mountainous area maybe 5 to 8 miles across (which I later have read is the remains of the central uplift area).  The southern quarter of the main Clavius ring, inside where the K and L craterlets nestle in the rim, seemed to show rougher terrain; in the smoother north and west, during moments of steadier seeing, thin rilles seemed to fleet in and out of view.  The crater floor was noticeably darker towards the western corner of the main crater.

 

Rutherford, which overlays Clavius near its south-eastern corner, was mostly in darkness but the central peak, offset to the north, stood proud of the shadows.  Its south western slopes, just emerging in the dawn, seemed to be rather collapsed and rugged.

 

Porter, embedded on Clavius' north-eastern wall, was mostly in shadow but displayed some brighter material on its north western rim.

 

Craterlets E and G are well outside the main crater to the north.

 

Just to the south west, beyond where craterlet K nestles in the Clavius' wall, is a pool of inky blackness which abruptly ends to the south west side in an irregular sliver of light - the wall of 72-mile wide Blancanus.

 

So just a short session, but really pleasing to see what can be achieved with a bit of patience and a decent lunar atlas to help navigate.  I think I'll be revisiting our moon!!

[laudropb]

Very nice report on one of my favourite lunar regions.

[John]

Great report - I'm just observing that very crater now with my 130mm refractor. It's certainly a lovely sight and very "busy" with craterlets and other crinkley features

Thanks for the pointer to go and have a look at it !

[orion25]

Great report. It's nice taking time to gaze at our lovely satellite 

 

Reggie

[Astro Imp]

Great report Paul of a very interesting feature. 

The moon never fails to fascinate.