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Terminator, a second stroll.


Marvin Jenkins

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Last night I was fortunate to get a second evenings Lunar observation, after missing the 7th due to complete cloud cover. 

I started with the most northern crater on the terminator which turned out to be Babbage, showing a crisp pock marked crater in the floor. Right next door Pythagoras with it’s central peak full of contrast. There appears to be a heart shaped structure joining the north wall of Pythagoras. I think it is the crater complex Anaximander finishing with Carpenter but hard to tell right on the edge. It is noticeable compared to the other craters that Pythagoras seems worn and badly erroded.

J Herschel, very hard to see. A crater in the n/e wall and a pin prick post mark in the crater floor. Moving south to Aristarchus (pure white) plus Herodotus. I can now see Schroters valley, initial description ‘like a fish hook coming out of the mouth of the north wall of the second crater. At first I got confused for a few minutes thinking I was looking at Reiner and Reiner Gamma. Then I noticed the rock outcrop east and realised it was Montes Harbinger from the session on the 6th. Now I know where I am!

West on the terminator to Selencus the shadow line directs it perfectly. A long wrinkle ridge glances Selencus east wall and continues to the Montes Agricola, I ponder if it is a wrinkle ridge as it is so straite, perhaps an ejector ray from a crater on the dark side?                   Schiaparelli has a large ridge that seems to fork at the crater.

Moving south again, Hevelius with north companion Cavalerius appearing to clip the north wall of the larger crater, Cavalerius split black and white right down the middle. Hevelius showing a small sharp pointed peak, the floor has lumps and structure in the crater side wall. Looks a strait line on the outside of the eastern wall (map says rilles) going to need higher mag so I will come back this way later.

Grimaldi is a monster with very complex crater walls, but really smooth on the crater floor like untouched Maria. The walls look eroded to the point of being blasted. Extremely rocky with what appears to be mountainous structure. Sirsalis, two overlapping equal craters, the older one clearly far more eroded. There appears to be lots of complex structure surrounding that area.

Darwin, hard to identify. Appears to be a solid black figure of eight, so may be a double crater with collapsed joining wall? Cruder nearby and seems so shallow. Finished with Schickard which was not spectacular at this time. Time to up the magnification and head back to Aristarchus and Schroters valley.

Now using a 10mm ep the valley looks like the letter W written by left hand (I am right handed) part way down the valley there looks like a split with one continuing onto to two small equal size craters. In moments of complete stillness this structure really blows me away. The central peak of Aristarchus is now visible and the wrinkle ridge/ray question is answered, it seems to be a massively long wrinkle ridge. I pushed it a bit further with a Barlow, but it seemed to amplify the seeing problems.

After an hour or a touch more I decide to pack away and have a look at the Lunar 100 list that I keep hearing about

Marvin

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