Moon images and discussion

[GeoffMc]

Hi Everyone,

there seems to be little engagement with lunar studies on IIS. To get things started, here's an image of Mare Orientale taken at MSATT (https://msatt.teamapp.com/clubs/224535?_webpage=v1). Happy to see others' images of the Moon!

Cheers,

Geoff Mc

[bkm2304]

Hi Geoff,

Nice pickup up of Orientale. There are a few "loonies" on the site. Not as many as the "sunnyboys" but still we try! Here's a few recent links to my stuff:

https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=209862

https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=209394

https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=209670

https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=208868

https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=209242



Richard
:ship2:

[GeoffMc]

Thanks Richard, I was starting to feel lonely! Your images are fabulous and I really like the way you add some background to the names. I look forward to exchanging more on the Moon.

Cheers, Geoff Mc

[Peter Ward]

I do have a soft spot for high resolution lunar images....which you don't
see much of.....as unless the seeing is sublime it's hard to get something that stands out.

Got this "oldie but a goodie" (https://www.atscope.com.au/BRO/gallery401.html) a while back.

[GeoffMc]

Spectacular image, Peter!

[bkm2304]

Great image, Peter. You must be disappointed by the space station photobombing........

[Peter Ward]

:lol: Yeah...ruined my evening.

[GeoffMc]

What I was wondering was, is there any interest in studying the Moon through specific features? This is a separate idea from lunar imaging, so I don't concentrate on that aspect and just take what I can get when the Moon is up. A while ago I decided that studying the Moon was a little like drinking from a firehose; it's just difficult to know where to start. So I decided to target individual features and try to understand what happened there, leading more easily to a general understanding of the Moon and its evolution.

Here's an example: Fracastorius (imaged at MSATT). It has a long and complicated history with the Nectaris basin and later mare flooding. Happy to discuss this kind of thing with others if there's any interest.

[bkm2304]

Here's a thing: Why does Fracastorius and other partially ruined/flooded craters appear as half moons (excuse the pun)? Is this because,

a. The lava has cooled too much by the time it reaches one end of a crater?

b. Such craters have a "downhill" end?

c. The curvature of the moon?

d. None/All of the above?

[Stefan Buda]

For many years such discussions were happening on the LPOD website run by Chuck Wood - until his retirement. The images and his expert comments are still accessible, but the discussions are not, it seems: https://www2.lpod.org/wiki/November_12,_2023

[GeoffMc]

Thanks Stefan. Yes, I read everything I could get my hands on from Chuck Wood. I also recall him commenting to me that the demise of LPOD was largely due to him seeing the lack of response to his posts day after day. Eventually I suppose he just decided it wasn't worth the effort. So sad that such a brilliant and engaging scientist and writer is no longer sharing on a regular basis.

Perhaps we can restore his approach even a little?

Cheers,

Geoff Mc

[GeoffMc]

Option b. Such craters have a downhill end is the key. There are many examples of tilted craters such as Posidonius and Gassendi, all near the edges of impact basins. But all craters have equal rim heights when first formed (other than some formed by really shallow impact angles). I don't have a good shot of Gassendi, but the image of Mare Humorum shows Gassendi's tilted rim. In this shot, I was aiming to get the graben and wrinkle ridges on Humorum. It's these features that are key in understanding the evolution of craters like Gassendi and Fracastorius.

Disclaimer: I'm really impatient and superficial when it comes to image processing. There are far cleverer people out there than me who produce the most extraordinary lunar images. I tend to cut the process short and just start trying to understand the features themselves.