Conspicuous Lamont

[Nyctimene]

My first "encounter" with the crater-like structure Lamont March 8th, 2018, was so unimpressive, that I entitled my then post on here with "Lamont or How Not To Be Seen". Yesterday  evening, the app LunarMap HD showed, that Lamont was very close to the terminator. At 3.00 CEST, I took out the 18" f/4.5 Obsession, and was very surprised, when, despite poor seeing (max. magnification 128x), Lamont gave a totally different view. A clear, oblong, crater-like shape, well detached from it's surroundings, the floor a bit uneven. Two overlapping lava terraces were extending from it to the north; a third and more prominent one to the south almost to the crater Sabine. The nearby crater Arago was flanked by two  conspicuous lunar domes W and N (Arago Alpha and Beta, following Rükl, chart 35), forming with them both an almost equilateral triangle. The nearby Rima (rille) Sosigenes could be made out several times in moments of better seeing, extending from Sosigenes A to Ariadaeus E, and almost at right angles with the more conspicuous Rima Ariadaeus. An interesting area with a lot of different geologic formations. So, if you want to spot No 53 of the Lunar 100 and get a satisfying view, wait, until it is almost under the terminator!

Thanks for reading

Stephan

 

 

[Paz]

I've just been checking Lamont out in my moon maps, it does look like a tough one. I'll be keeping it in mind if I'm observing at a good time for it.