Just The Moon And Some Glass

[cloudsweeper]

No electronics for a change - using the ST120 frac.  Started viewing Luna (one day past first quarter) in mid-afternoon.  By 5.30am, against a clear blue sky, more detail was showing, with Plato on the terminator.  There was no shimmering around the limb, and no CA worthy of comment.

I chose crater Cassini for my target - a peculiar 35 mile crater, south of the Alpes Mountains.  It had a thinner shadow/lower rim than craters Aristillus and Autolycus below it, and the two craters within it were very clear by 6pm.  One had a peardrop shape, looking crisp at x100, 150, and 200 - the latter in the WO SPL 3mm.  Nice to use my short focus EPs for a change - the 8SE doesn't allow this!  The image's movement across the FOV was very noticeable, but manual tracking was very easy of course.

After a meal break, out again at 7.30 to find the objective cover all dewed up.  Although it was still light, the Moon's surface was now much more detailed and showed "texture", which is always pleasing.  There was just a little purple fringing to the limb - nothing much at all, and no distraction to the view on the surface anyway.  I was able to detect a trace of the mountain-like formation west of the "peardrop".  Reduced transparency probably prevented a clearer view of finer detail.

Total - about 5 hours focused on a 35 mile diameter area.  Very satisfying, and a complete change from the light-dodging galaxy hunting of the early hours.

Thanks for reading this far!

Doug.

[Trikeflyer]

Great report Doug.  Sounds like you had a great time. Nice to concentrate on just a small area for a while.

. I have been out for the last hour focussed on Apennine Mountains. Nice view of Wallace the almost invisible crater in Mare Imbruim.  Mt Huygens, Ampere and Wolff nicely showing texture tonight. Also took in Archimedes, Bancroft, Beer, Feuillee,  Just made out the Bradley Rille.  Conor, Aratus and Galen were showing nicely in the reflected light of the terminator.  Compared the binoviewer with Meade etx 125 with mono view in skywatcher 120 equinox.  The binoviewer was nice but there was more contrast with the frac.  I need to get a optical corrector to enable me to use the binoviewer with the frac then I can have the best of both worlds! 

Steve

[Pig]

Great report Doug .... some great lunar views tonight also, the detail is fantastic with some high magnifications achievable ?