Another superb lunar evening

[John]

Just a quick post to mark the superb seeing on the moon this evening.

Plato craterlets, Vallis Alpes central rille, Catena Davy craterlet chain, it's all up there and steady at 300x - 400x with the 12 inch dob right now

 

[russ]

Excellent stuff John.  I was out a little earlier taking a look myself. It was surprisingly steady and taking good power. The crater detail was stunning along the terminator. Was going to be an imaging session but abandoned that in favour of some visuals instead.

[markse68]

It was lovely wasn’t it! How many craterlets did you count in Plato with that beast John? I wasn’t getting enough contrast last night to count- I could just about make out some were there but maybe my eyes were tired but I couldn’t separate them

[John]

1 hour ago, markse68 said:

It was lovely wasn’t it! How many craterlets did you count in Plato with that beast John? I wasn’t getting enough contrast last night to count- I could just about make out some were there but maybe my eyes were tired but I couldn’t separate them

I got 8 craterlets last night. The "big four" and the "little four". My best is 11 with this scope.

Useful guide to them here:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/34841-guide-to-plato-craterlets/

[markse68]

Wow! Truly impressive John! I don’t think I’ll ever get close to that with my 8”. I guess lighting is key and last night should have been good but for some reason they weren’t as clear as I’ve seen before but it may well have been my local seeing which seemed great at times with passing patches of the wobbles. 

[John]

Lunar illumination does need to be "right" to get the most out of them. Last night was pretty good with the craterlets appearing as tiny pits with ramparts. Under more direct illumination they appear as bright spots which I think makes spotting the smaller ones much harder.

 

[Geoff Barnes]

I'm very envious @John, Having purchased my Vixen SLV 2.5mm back in February (specifically to try and see the Vallis Alpes central rille and Plato craterlets), I still haven't had a clear night at the right lunar phase. I got very close a couple of nights ago but it was just one day too early. What I did manage to see though at an astonishing 600x blew me away! It really felt as if I was about to touch down on the lunar surface with incredible detail visible in rock steady seeing. It was the first time I have been able to clearly see individual mountain peaks rising above the smooth curve of the outer lunar disc. I'm really hungry now for a clear chance to see those tantalising details this month, given good seeing I think it will definitely be achievable! Fingers cossed!  

Edited June 1, 2020 by Geoff Barnes

[wookie1965]

Just said the same to @Stu I have never looked at the moon so closely but you make it sound a lot more interesting I must have a better look at it and get a reference map to know what I am looking at.