Cauchy Fault for the first time

[MalcolmM]

I got a quick session this morning on the moon before work. FS60CB + WO Binoviewers and 10LE's.

I spent a little while fiddling with the eyepieces, getting good focus and a merged image. It always surprises me when I think I have good focus, everything is sharp, and then I tweak the main focus or one of the eyepiece adjusters and suddenly the focus sharpens even more and 'things' appear as the contrast jumps out!

I was looking for the Hyginus Rille, not immediately obvious, so I crater hopped starting at Hipparchus. Took me flipping ages to find Hipparchus in the first place! I had convinced myself that Ptolemaeus was Hipparchus and of course from there, nothing seemed to correlate!

Eventually found it, Horrocks on it's limb giving it away. Then to Pickering, Lade, Godin and Agrippa. Across to Triesnecker (no rilles visible) and then used a kite shape of Triesnecker, Ukert, Chladni and Hyginus to figure where the rille was. Hyginus itself was not really visible as such but the shallow V of the rille was discernable.

It was then that I noticed a very thin, very bright line coming in from the terminator. I poured over my lunar atlas trying to figure out what this 'very obvious ' feature was. I could see Theophilus and from there the elongated Torricelli and then Maskelyne with it's little crater just beside it (Maskelyne B). Sinas and Sinas E then put my bright line where the Cauchy Fault was. Now I had looked for the Cauchy Fault a number of times with bigger scopes in various phases but had never seen it and had come to the conclusion, in true 'Jaws' fashion, "Malcolm, we need a bigger scope" 🙂 

So I was very pleased and surprised to have seen this feature so easily in the little 60CB.

If I had had more time I would have tried a simple sketch, it really was a lovely sight! Speaking of time, I handed in my resignation last week for early retirement, so in 3 weeks time I'll have no excuses! Sketch away!

Malcolm 

[JeremyS]

Great report Malcolm 👍🏻

Congratulations about your forthcoming early retirement. What a super opportunity! Looking forward to hearing more about you observational journey post retirement.

[mikeDnight]

We have it in writing now Malcolm,  so there's no escaping your obligation to deliver a lunar sketch sometime in the near future. 

[MalcolmM]

11 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

We have it in writing now Malcolm,  so there's no escaping your obligation to deliver a lunar sketch sometime in the near future. 

Coming from you Mike that's no pressure at all 🙂 

My primary school stick person to your Leonardo da Vinci 😂

[mikeDnight]

1 hour ago, MalcolmM said:

Coming from you Mike that's no pressure at all 🙂 

My primary school stick person to your Leonardo da Vinci 😂

You're probably doing yourself an injustice Malcom. Having said that, I do think the Moon is the single most challenging object to draw. Shadows move rapidly and features can completely transform before your eyes within minutes. If you'd like to simplify matters you could choose a target away from the terminator where things change more slowly. Wrinkle ridges, domes and shading of tonal differences on lava planes or on the floors of ringed planes such as Archimedes or Plato etc can be a great place to start. But even if you do draw stick men, you'll still have learned more about the feature you're observing while scribbling with a pencil in your hand than without. 

[MalcolmM]

Got another quick go at the moon this morning with the 60CB and WO Binoviewers with Tak LE 7.5mm eyepieces before work. Was concentrating on Hyginus Rille (also saw one feint scar of the Triesnecker Rilles).

But I saw one of the most beautiful sights I've seen yet on the moon and just had to try and do a quick sketch for @mikeDnight and @JeremyS 

It's not that I'm not taking your advice Mike about staying away from the terminator but I just had to give this a go. I could make excuses about how little time I had but at this point this is probably the best I can do no matter how much time I had! So here goes ... the first of many I hope!

I could see a dark line of the Ariadaeus Rille, but also, just, a thin bright line of it continuing into the dark beyond the terminator ending in a small bright pearl!

Needless to say, the sketch does not do the visual justice. An absolutely beautiful sight, and in a 60mm scope!

Now to work

Malcolm

[JeremyS]

6 hours ago, MalcolmM said:

Got another quick go at the moon this morning with the 60CB and WO Binoviewers with Tak LE 7.5mm eyepieces before work. Was concentrating on Hyginus Rille (also saw one feint scar of the Triesnecker Rilles).

But I saw one of the most beautiful sights I've seen yet on the moon and just had to try and do a quick sketch for @mikeDnight and @JeremyS 

It's not that I'm not taking your advice Mike about staying away from the terminator but I just had to give this a go. I could make excuses about how little time I had but at this point this is probably the best I can do no matter how much time I had! So here goes ... the first of many I hope!

I could see a dark line of the Ariadaeus Rille, but also, just, a thin bright line of it continuing into the dark beyond the terminator ending in a small bright pearl!

Needless to say, the sketch does not do the visual justice. An absolutely beautiful sight, and in a 60mm scope!

Now to work

Malcolm

Excellent, Malcolm 👍🏻

[mikeDnight]

It will be wonderful to follow your progress Malcolm, especially as you'll have so much spare time on your hands once you're retired.   Seriously though, it's a very good sketch and I'd bet you feel all the better for doing it. 

[MalcolmM]

4 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

It will be wonderful to follow your progress Malcolm, especially as you'll have so much spare time on your hands once you're retired.   Seriously though, it's a very good sketch and I'd bet you feel all the better for doing it. 

Thanks @mikeDnight. As you said earlier, I definitely found sketching (however amateurish) makes you concentrate on what you are seeing and therefore you see more. Thanks for the tip!

Malcolm