FEBRUARY 4TH - 5TH, SUNRISE AT GASSENDI, AND NEARLY A CUP HANDLE!

paulastro · February 5, 2020

I had two sessions overnight out in the observatory. Using the SW 120ED on the Ercole mount, visual observations with the binoviewer, using 24 and 16.8 mm Orthos in turn, depending on the seeing. I hadn't envisaged having a second session, but in the first one ( 5.15 to 6.15 pm ) I noticed that Gassendi's E walls were just starting to catch the rising sunlight at the N end of Mare Humorum. I checked the LunarMap HD app which indicated that it would be fully in view by around 11.00pm. Hence I decided to have a second look, and went out from about 11.30 pm to 1.30 am when the cloud rolled in. I has some fabulous views both session, but it was particularly nice to see Gassendi with low sunlight across the whole crater.

The pics below are taken from two single frames using the Olympus E-M5 MK11.

The first was taken at 5.47 pm, showing the whole Moon, and three crops taken from it. They show Sinus Iridum ( not quite at the 'Cup Handle' stage!), Gassendi and Mare Humorum with the sunlight just catching its E walls, and the S limb from the Hainzal/Mee 'double crater' in the W to Clavius in the East. The area on the S limb was amazingly complex with crowded limb detail.

The second pic taken at 00.04 am shows Gassendi now entirely Illuminated by low sunlight at the N end of Mare Humorum, the wrinkle rims in Humorium were very nicely showing - at least visually!

It was nice to have a couple of snaps of a very enjoyable and memorable observing session.