Moon: Day 5 - “Bold Ridges.”
Published on 20 Mar 2010 at 10:57 pm.
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Another clear evening to observe the Moon, this time in Taurus & its own diameter left of M-45, the Pleiades star cluster. Daylight on the Moon has just recently revealed the conspicuous crater trio of Theophilus, Catherina, and Cyrillus, with the former one having a half illuminated floor. With the terminator at 23 degrees east longitude and 5 days & 6 1/2 hrs old, it has moved just beyond crater Plinius, all dark inside. Thus, the Serpentine Ridge is bold running north to south across eastern Mare Serenity. Accordingly, the Nectaris Bench appears the same, having been recently unvieled from the lunar night. Piccolomini crater retains darkness against its east wall inside, like crater Vlacq south of Janssen, but sunrise is now occuring inside crater Pitiscus further west. South of the crater trio, the Altai Scarp is almost all in view as a striking white cut into the terminator. Alot to see, even with Mare Crisium so much tilted away from us, and this Moon not to set until well after midnight local time.
Moon: Day 4 - “Invading Nectaris”
Published on 19 Mar 2010 at 10:59 pm.
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I could not get to see the Sun today, as it was only in and out of snow showers which cleared in the evening (and me and brother were on an extensive aluminum can run!), to reveal a crescent Moon 10-11 degrees below the Pleiades star cluster. It is 4 days & 6 hrs old when I observe it descending late tonight in the west-northwest - a fine bright smile for the end of winter. The sunrise terminator has advanced just beyond old Janssen crater, to 35 degrees east longitude. Mare Crisium continues to be very much tilted away from us , and it appears close to the northeast limb. Whereas Atlas crater has a sunlit floor, nearby Hercules is dark inside. Far in the northern cusp, the terminator is just before the western rim of lava-flooded crater Gartner. This crater thus is a smaller version of the Jura Mountains, having no visible rim on its south side. The new lunar day has invaded Mare Nectaris; a couple of subtle dorsae within it have bold relief. The same can be said of the Rheita Valley. Almost all of Janssen’s floor is illuminated, but Fabricius is dark inside & the interior of Metion has recently seen sunrise. Macrobius still has a shaded east wall inside, like Goeclenius too. I’ll still call this a slender waxing crescent Moon, but enjoy it tomorrow through your telescope, when it skirts by the Pleiades directly!
Pores Increase.
Published on 18 Mar 2010 at 6:39 am.
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Yesterday was another successful solar observation day, and my opportunity came at 5:30pm CDT. Unlike the previous day, TWO areas of sunspots were seen - including a group of 4 new pores in shortly from the eastern limb. This is now dubbed area 1056 (not “51″) and is on the increase in activity. Let’s see if this will be more complicated later today. The other area - #1054, is over 3/4ths of the way across the Sun now. This appears to be undergoing gradual decay, with only one large component with penumbra leading two smaller spots toward the western limb. For the past two mornings, no auroras seen from my location too.
Moon: Day 2 - “Holding the Big Four.”
Published on 17 Mar 2010 at 10:54 pm.
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Alas, another clear evening when it was forecast to be cloudy. So, I got to see and examine the “new” Moon (actually 52 hrs old) in the west 3/4 hr after sunset. It was a full 10 degrees above Venus and slightly to its right. Using the Quantum-4 telescope, I did notice the eastern limb tilted much away from us, as Mare Crisium was quite near it and the terminator considerably across it already - at 60 degrees east longitude. So, the “Big Four” craters were held firm by the inky lunar night, but protruding from it. Langrenus was all dark inside, whereas Vendelinius had a sunlit floor. Petavius was also all black within, except for the top of its central peak - an illuminated island in a dark moat. Furnerius was fused with the terminator and also all dark within. North of Mare Crisium, crater Messau very recently had sunrise from within it, as its floor was sunlit. No seeing Endymion because of the current libration, but in the slender southern cusp, Boussingault crater could be seen, recognized by its terraced south side (an impact within it?). All of Mare Crisium is for your viewing pleasure tomorrow evening through your telescope, and with bold relief in the rugged terrain about its west side. Welcome to lunation #1079.
Hello to Venus!
Published on 16 Mar 2010 at 8:59 am.
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My sky this morning was clotted with thick fog - again, but late yesterday evening, I saw a new visitor to the evening sky 1/2 hr after sunset. Venus has returned to the evening twilight, but the planet is far behind and gradually catching up to us now. Look for it almost due west and 4 1/2 thumb widths above the horizon at 8:15pm CDT. Currently, Venus is just over 145 million miles away from us, and although setting with the twilight now, watch as it becomes a very conspicuous evening star later this spring and early summer. Through your telescope, it appears much like an almost full tiny Moon, but being inferior to us, it will undergo changes in appearance - turning into a “half moon,” before turning into a larger white crescent. Will you notice much fainter Mercury just 2-3 thumb widths from it in the first days of April?