MAY 1ST - SUNRIES OVER THE E WALLS OF COPERNICUS

[paulastro]

At last, I had a session of the Moon in mostly clear skies from about 8.30 to around 10.45 pm.  Thee seeing was good early on but deteriorated toward the end.  The Moon (61.6%, 8.78 days) was truly spectacular at times.  The highlight for me was the sun rising over the E walls of Copernicus and the area to the E including Eratosthenes and the S Apennines, the nearby areas of dark mare material and further S taking in the Frau Mauro area.  Clavius and its environs were also excellent - as were many other areas.  I took some pics but spent most time observing, wonderful views using the SW 120ED.

The single frame below was taken at 22.15 pm, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/160 sec at 400 asa.   The close-ups are crops from two different frames.  I'm pleased with the pics, but the real thing was even better through the eyepiece.