It has been crystal clear the last two nights, so I have set up my telescopes in the side yard and spent time observing the full moon as well as the planets Jupiter and Saturn. It was really nice being out under the stars on a beautiful night. The moon is actually much more dramatic when it is only half illuminated at it's first quarter phase. Then you can see the incredible rough surface of the mountains and craters. But there is one thing about the moon when it is full that we can see best, and that is the "ejecta" that results when a meteor has struck the moon. When that happens the power of the impact blows massive amounts of the moon's surface out of the inside of the crater. There is so much force involved, that the material is blown as far as 200 or 300 miles for some of the craters! Two of the craters with the largest rays are Tycho at the lower left, and Copernicus just above the center on the left. Now you know one more thing about the moon, Please click on the photo to see it larger.
2 comments:
Wow! Thank you for another astronomy lesson and great photo.
Joan
The two craters look like shattered glass. The detail in this photo is astounding! Thank you for more moon shots and information. betsey
Post a Comment