MARCH 6TH - ARISTARCHUS WELL PLACED

[paulastro]

I was out from 6.40 pm to 8.15pm when cloud intervened.  Seeing not great, but pleased to see Aristarchus well placed.  Nice views with the binoviewer at x150 and x225 (when seeing permitted) with the SW 120ED. 

I took some single frames with my Olympus E-M5 Mk11, two of which are below.  The full frame shot was taken at 7.59 pm, 1/200 at 400 asa, and the  close up shots are mono and colour crops of the same shot taken at 7.43 pm - 1/160 at 400 asa.

 

       

 

 

[Stu]

Nice shots Paul. Aristarchus did look fabulous. The crater floor, little central peak and also the detail on the crater slopes was excellent. Seeing a bit wobbly here too, but where steady there was some excellent detail to be seen. Need to wait a few weeks for my Moonlite then will have fine focus and can use the binoviewers in the Vixen which will be much better.

[paulastro]

Many thanks Stu, I'm very pleased you had a good view.  It is exceptionally well placed tonight, with a high Moon and some clear skies!    I can't recall the last time I had a better view, if indeed I have.  I hope someone posts up some high res pics, it's a great opportunity.

Moonlites are great focusers  and it will be great with you're binoviewer on your Vixen.  I hope you'll post a pic on SGL when you have it - I'd like to see it.  I've had one or two over the years and really like them.

[Stu]

9 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Many thanks Stu, I'm very pleased you had a good view.  It is exceptionally well placed tonight, with a high Moon and some clear skies!    I can't recall the last time I had a better view, if indeed I have.  I hope someone posts up some high res pics, it's a great opportunity.

Moonlites are great focusers  and it will be great with you're binoviewer on your Vixen.  I hope you'll post a pic on SGL when you have it - I'd like to see it.  I've had one or two over the years and really like them.

Likewise, I normally seem to observe this area when it is a little further from the terminator and whilst good, it looks a bit flatter and with less dramatic contrast.

I'm looking forward to the Moonlite and will certainly post a picture or three 😉. The original focuser is ok, but is quite stuff and difficult to achieve pin sharp focus without wobbling the scope a bit too much. I'm impressed with the scope easily coping with x300 but the binoviewers will help reducer my floaters a bit hopefully.

[Ships and Stars]

Thanks for pointing out Aristarchus, Paul as I don't know a lot about lunar features. I started off with the 300p and a 20mm EP at 75x through some passing cloud and worked up to 231x with a barlowed 13mm plossl once it cleared. Decent seeing, not terribly turbulent. Then swapped to the binoviewers and several sets of plossls, ending up with the WO 20mm EPs and a 1.6x GPC, which was the best of the entire lot between mag & sharpness. The oblique lighting was perfect to bring out the definition, there was what appeared to be a prominent linear mountain ridge that sits below the area that must be massive, trying to find out more info on that (still searching - see last Apollo 15 photo below). Schroter's Valley was equally impressive, I just read it was perhaps formed by volcanic activity, but there is no consensus! Another feature that must be absolutely colossal up close. Learned quite a lot this evening including a new word - 'rille'. Thanks again Paul!

I found some images from the Apollo 15 mission below if anyone might not have seen these before.

Edited March 7, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[paulastro]

Ships and Stars - many thanks.  It sounds as if you has some great views, with the low illumination the region must have been spectacular with your 300p.  Spectacular pictures from Apollo 15, quite a view they had .

[Ships and Stars]

35 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Ships and Stars - many thanks.  It sounds as if you has some great views, with the low illumination the region must have been spectacular with your 300p.  Spectacular pictures from Apollo 15, quite a view they had .

That made my night, cheers! Your photos are excellent as well, plus I would have struggled to know where to look without those. I normally just view the moon without a great deal of context for what I'm seeing. The 300p has been an excellent all-round scope.  I can't imagine what it must have been like to fly over then land within sight of some of these features. I'll have to check out more on where Apollo 15 landed. They got through a few rolls of film, couldn't believe how many photos are in the archives. Have a good evening!

Edited March 7, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[DavidJM]

First time viewing of this area and just couldn't move away, for once a great few hours here with surprisingly little turbulence, great images guys

[mikeDnight]

12 hours ago, Ships and Stars said:

That made my night, cheers! Your photos are excellent as well, plus I would have struggled to know where to look without those. I normally just view the moon without a great deal of context for what I'm seeing. The 300p has been an excellent all-round scope.  I can't imagine what it must have been like to fly over then land within sight of some of these features. I'll have to check out more on where Apollo 15 landed. They got through a few rolls of film, couldn't believe how many photos are in the archives. Have a good evening!

 

5 hours ago, DavidJM said:

First time viewing of this area and just couldn't move away, for once a great few hours here with surprisingly little turbulence, great images guys

Thanks for posting those amazing images Ships & Stars. I don't think I've ever seen them before, so they were fascinating to look at, and showing some truly interesting features.

From the sound of it, it seems that both you and and DavidJM may have just been bitten by the Moon bug. 

[Ships and Stars]

2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

 

Thanks for posting those amazing images Ships & Stars. I don't think I've ever seen them before, so they were fascinating to look at, and showing some truly interesting features.

From the sound of it, it seems that both you and and DavidJM may have just been bitten by the Moon bug. 

It's an interesting site, isn't it? I'd happened to do a search for Aristarchus and then went to lunar maps, and somehow stumbled onto to the Apollo 15 archive from NASA. By the way, I hope no one thinks I took those photos if scrolling through posts (I wish!).  

I think the moon bug is a good term, usually I complain a little about the moon (shhhh) because I'm a bit of a DSO junkie, but now I have some more things to do astro-related this summer when we don't quite get astronomical darkness at 57N. I like pushing the magnification was well and seeing what I can squeeze out of my scope and it's not something terribly affected by LP to boot. 

[mikeDnight]

12 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

It's an interesting site, isn't it? I'd happened to do a search for Aristarchus and then went to lunar maps, and somehow stumbled onto to the Apollo 15 archive from NASA. By the way, I hope no one thinks I took those photos if scrolling through posts (I wish!).  

I think the moon bug is a good term, usually I complain a little about the moon (shhhh) because I'm a bit of a DSO junkie, but now I have some more things to do astro-related this summer when we don't quite get astronomical darkness at 57N. I like pushing the magnification was well and seeing what I can squeeze out of my scope and it's not something terribly affected by LP to boot. 

I remember Patric Moore stating in one of his beginners books many years ago, that "after around 6 months, one will know which field of interest one will study." Or words to that effect.  Well, after 40 years I still like it all, and often flit from one interest to another as the mood takes me. I think that with a 300mm scope, you are in an ideal position to allow your interests to adapt to the season and to whatever is on show. There's no need to categorize ourselves too much. My main interests are currently lunar and planetary, but I've spent years fascinated by comets, and my old Nortons Star Atlas is littered with pencil lines plotting and tracking the comets I've seen over the years.  Ive also got countless deep sky sketches going back four decades, but with my local skies deteriorating over the years as regards transparency,  I found myself leaning towards the planet's and finally the Moon. 

As far as those great NASA images are concerned; take the credit when you can.