Possible craters silhouette

[Ant]

I'm still wading though my images from the eclipse.

I came across this image the seeing seemed quite steady and the edge of the sun is quite even. But the curve of the moon isn't.

Is it possible that the unevenness is caused by craters on the moon? If that is possible is it possible to overlay an image of the moon and identify the craters that have caused each peak and trough?

This image was taken at 10:24am if the helps...

(click to enlarge)

Cheers

ant

[Paxo]

Looks to me as though that is exactly what you have there Ant. I'm out imaging at the moment having a break for a bank of cloud going over, I'll have a quick loo and see what I can find next bank of cloud (about 30 mins lookin at the horizon)

Steve..

[Ant]

Cheers Steve,

It's clear here, but I'm still going through images - my brain feels like mush!

Thanks for any help / guidance you can give?

Ant

[Ant]

Where would be able to get a image of the moon (or a generated map) showing the peaks and troughs?

I have no software to do that!?!

Ant

[Paxo]

Ant,

I have some software that came with the Meade machine, but it keep crashing. Carol has mentioned some software on several occasions.

Steve..

[Paxo]

Ant,

Jst to aid my sanity, is your map the right way up and not inverted in any way, it looks 'correct' but I thought I would ask.

Steve..

[Paxo]

Ant looks like, going from top to bottom on your photo (and I'm prepared to be corrected on this) that you are starting around the Mare Novum area passing down to Mare Smyythii and then ending somewhere around the W. Humbolt crater. I am looking at Patricks Moon Map at the moment, there are no large craters mapped at the very edge on that but I gues there are libration effects etc that could make these choices completely wrong.

Hope this helps, I'm sure someone else will no though.

Steve.

[Ant]

Ant,

Jst to aid my sanity, is your map the right way up and not inverted in any way, it looks 'correct' but I thought I would ask.

Steve..

It compicated Camera - Diagonal - Barlow - Scope. Haven't a clue how to work out the orientation

My guess is left/right is correct, but the up and down is reversed.

I'll see if I can dig out a map as well and line it up on paper!

Cheers

Ant

[Talitha]

Ant, that's definitely the lunar landscape you've got there.. the unevenness is what causes the 'diamond ring' effect during a total eclipse.

I'll have a go at labelling your image if you'd like.. what are the rough co-ordinates of the location you did the imaging from? (Name of the nearest city within 50 miles will do, too.)

[Ant]

Hi Carol,

That would be great, thank you.

London is 30 miles west, Chelmsford around 12 North, Southend on Sea about 7 miles East.

Ant

[David Galvin]

Ant, you have indeed captured the rugged profile of the lunar limb and it is this give rise to Baileys Beads and the wonderful Diamond Ring(s) during a total eclipse. It is possible to identify which craters and mountains are in profile at the time of capture but it may not be as straight forward as one would hope.

Take a look at the website of Pete Lawrence which will give an idea of what is required.

http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/3cls/3cls.html

The following images show; the Moon against the Sun as seen from London at 10:24 BST.

A Limb profile against the Sun at Totality,

An image of the Moon/Sun that shows some of the Maria. Image taken by Hartwig Luethen at http://www.spaceweather.com/eclipses/01aug08c/Hartwig-Luethen1.jpg?PHPSESSID=lvnuihooiq37334vb0pfai9fj7

I hope that this is of some help and interest.

[Ant]

Thanks David. They are very interesting indeed.

I'll sit down tonight and have a look at whats what, see if I can work it out myself!

Love that last image!

Cheers

Ant

[David Galvin]

I am sure that Virtual Moon Atlas shows the libration for a given date and time but the free software can take a large chunk of the hard drive. It may be worth installing it as a temporary measure and see if it gives you your answer.

http://www.ap-i.net/avl/en/start

[Talitha]

Sorry it took so long to get back in here. I changed the co-ordinates in the VMA from my location to 51.5°N/0.75°E (ought to be close enough to you) and not surprisingly, it matches up with the 1st graphic David posted.. thanks for that, David!

Your image shows the lunar limb from Zucchius to Marinus G. What's puzzling me is the 'indent' at the top. If your image is upside-down, it could possibly be Bailly, but the problem with that is Bailly would be right at the top and not as far down as it is. If the image is right-side up though, the indent matches the location of Mare Australe pretty well.

Either way, the mid-section of your image silhouettes the environs of Cabeus, Malapert, Scott, Demonax and Neumayer (the southern highlands)... pretty hard to pin down exactly, which is why my attempts at labelling the image failed.