Backyard M
n
Backyard Mn
|
|
Areas of the Moon | |
| Phases of the Moon | Links, Books, Software | Moon news, librations, lunations... |
| some pages under construction ... | Latest Photographs and Observing Log | Index .... coming soon ... well maybe ... |
Recent Photographs Archive Planets Transit of Venus Sun Clouds Sketches
Present lunation in Latest Photos - recent lunations in Recent - further back try Archive from above menu (this is a rambling website - just rummage through it!)
Lunation 1020 - June/July 2005
(see crater Cassini on 14th June also link to SMART-1 ESA photo on the News page - also NASA on Low Moon Illusion on News)
Thurs 30 June 2005 - 23 day Moon in full sunlight -around 11:30 BST
 |
| The waning moon was visible through the telescope in the daytime. Dark Grimaldi was clear and bright spots could be seen - Byrgius A and Sirsalis to the west, plus Kepler, Copernicus and Aristarchus further north. Two dark craters are just visible south of Grimaldi - possibly Cruger and Rocca. Pic poor but light and dark areas still show. |
Tuesday evening 28-06-2005
 |
| Ho hum .... |
Monday/Tuesday 28th June Last Quarter
 |
 |
 |
| Early morning sighting - around 0400 BST | Last Quarter
The sky was quite light and some of the bright features were not as prominent. The terminator cut through Aristoteles and skirted the eastern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains then left a third of the Mare Serenitatis lit. Mare Tranquillitatis was not on view |
Sun up and bright, but moon still visible in SW around 1000 BST |
Sunday/Monday 27th June 2005 20 Day Moon
| 20 Day moon
Never did see Mars! |
Also on Sketches page The very bright, white area was very visible to the west of Kepler and about half way between Grimaldi and Aristarchus. This seems likely to be Reiner Gamma - the only lunar 'swirl' on the near side of the moon - will look more closely when I can get the TAL on it! (more information on 'swirls' in Charles Wood's book and in Peter Grego's see Links or see Lunar Orbiter Atlas for photo) |
27th June 2005 - 20
day moon
Thought I'd seen the last of the moon for this session but was awake at around 03.45BST and went to see if Mars was around. Didn't see it but the moon was sailing in a clear sky. Watched with 10 x 50 binocs - not able to get a photo for reference apart from one to show shape. Jotted down main objects visible and later put them on a basic template as a record. Not an artist - so just a scruffy memo ;-) Maria Imbrium, Frigoris, and the Oceanus Procellarum all seemed to blend in with each other. The 'limbs' of Mare Serentitatis shone in the sun beyond the terminator. The SW maria could be seen like the pattern of a dog's paw print and Grimaldi was dark as ever on the rim. Shining white in the west were Copernicus, Kepler, Aristarchus and another yet to be checked out (Reiner Gamma?). The rocky southern highlands were showing up against the terminator with, I think, Theophilus standing out below Mare Tranquillitatis |
Wednesday 22nd June - 15 day moon - lot of media coverage on 'Moon Illusion'
 |
| Lot of media coverage about the Moon tonight - how it
looks 'extremely close' etc. It's at the end of an 18 year cycle, making
it the lowest from the northern hemisphere (at the time it crosses the
meridian (due south)) in this cycle. If you watch the path on
SkyMap or Starry Night you can see it rise in the SSE then scurry along,
keeping a low altitude, just above the horizon and set in the SSW.
The night of the 22nd it rose about 22.00 BST and set around 04.00 BST,
crossing the meridian about 01.00 BST. At around 11:00 BST it was
hiding in the trees again but by 02.45 BST it was south of SSW and clear and over the
road. Altitude around 5 deg.
The illusion that the moon looks so much bigger than usual is caused by us viewing it against trees, rooftops and other objects closer to us than the normal vision of it higher in the sky floating with the clouds. For more technical explanations follow the NASA News link That's probably it for the moment - no more hanging out of 3rd floor windows in the middle of the night ;-) Will have to update some of the others pages till the next lunation .... keep on looking ... Index coming for those of you who like more order ;-) |
Tuesday 21st June - Summer Solstice
 |
 |
| Low, 14 days full but hiding behind
cloud and gate and trees! Lower half of Moon just emerged at 23.15
BST
see News from NASA for Low Moon Illusion |
Insomnia has its uses. 02:15
BST 22-06-05
Still with light cloud streaks, low over main road, almost like another street light :-) |
Monday 20th June - 13 day 7 hr low moon
 |
| At full moon it will be at its lowest
for 18 years. Here at 22:00 BST it will not make it over the garage roof
tonight :-) Thin cloud drifting over the moon, veiling the details
see News from NASA for Low Moon Illusion |
Sunday 19th June - 12 day moon, very low in the sky.
 |
| Low 12 day moon, dodging the clouds,
rolling over the garage roof
see News from NASA for Low Moon Illusion |
Saturday 18th June - 11 day moon
 |
 |
 |
| Low ... | Clear ... | and beautiful ... |
Friday 17th June
Thurs 16th June - 8/9 day moon
 |
| Later ... with Jupiter |
 |
 |
 |
| Early evening moon - still 8days (and 23
hrs old)
Not good for photos but the maria were clear in the Tal. Lots of thin white cloud around - not to mention some dark grey ones. Not able to view later so having an early peep. |
Now a 9 day moon - still light and
photos are poor. But the viewing was reasonable between clouds.
Hope the skies clear for you wherever you are viewing from. |
The heavily cratered South - a favourite sight. Again, a poor photo, but the great Clavius is visible, with Tycho clear above if you get your scope on the moon. And just further north, blurred in this light, is the huge, battered plain of Deslandres |
Weds 15th June
Tuesday 14th June 7 days - first quarter
 |
 |
 |
|
| 8pm BST - not hopeful after a day of cloud
and showers but ...
Cleared - Mare visible even through camera zoom |
Early evening first quarter moon showing at least 5 dark seas of the moon. The lighter mountains showed up a beautiful pale cream. The sun had not set yet. | Closer views of the seas ... | |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Through the scope I could view this
interesting part of the Mare Imbrium showing the crater Cassini at the
top, filled with lava and marked by 2 other craters. The Caucasus
Mountains are to the East and the Alps to the North, with the Apennines
further South. To the West of Cassini is Mount Piton.
In the middle are the yet shadow-filled craters of Aristillus and
Autolycus with the large crater Archimedes still lurking in the
terminator shadow.
See end panel or link to News for 20-05-2005 |
The old Mare Nectar was worth viewing this
evening too.
Seeing was poor - with a lot of shimmering - not good for photographs. But when it cleared there was so much to see through the telescope. |
Then - back came the clouds ...
|
Sunday 12th June 5 days 8 to 9 hrs old
 |
 |
| Soft blue of the sky as the sun gets low. Proclus shines on the edge of the Mare Crisium and the craters Atlas and Hercules have short shadows | The Mare Nectar is shown with the great craters Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina starting to stand out along with the Rupes Altai |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Clouds at 7.45pm BST | 7.50pm BST | 8pm BST
Telescope set up quickly Theophilus trio clear |
Crisium and Fecunditatis showing |
Saturday 11th June 4 days 13 hrs old
 |
 |
| Clouds had prevented viewing with the Tal but found they'd cleared and the moon was about to vanish behind the trees from ground level 10:42 BST | Better from 3rd floor but through a window. With binoculars could see the maria in the East and the cratered south starting to show 10.47 BST |
Friday 10th June 3 days 15 hrs old
 |
 |
| Clouds hiding the lower Saturn and the Twins as darkness falls around 10.15pm BST | Moon breaks through - Mare Crisium clear through binoculars as was the Mare Fecunditatis |
Thursday 9th June - still 2 days old
 |
Weds had clear skies but I couldn't view!! But there it was tonight complete with a plane |  |
Enlargement
2 days 17 hrs taken 21:36 BST |
 |
One hour later
Clouds descending
Saturn appeared just above middle tree |
 |
Enlarged
Saturn just about visible Craters on Moon just visible through binoculars Moon heading for trees - again! |
7th June 2005
|
|
| 7th June 2005 - alas - clouds and trees only ... |
