uppy, downy and cratery bits on the moon

[Robert_T]

Hi All, Ok I admit it, I don't know what's what when it comes to the moon (and no doubt about a whole lot besides);)

Couldn't resist taking some quick avis off the moon though after Saturn yesterday morn (23-dec). Seeing was deteriorating and I didn't really spend the time I hould have with focus as the sky was rapidly brightening.

If anyone knows that these bits are please chime in - especially in the third image there's a wierd "bullseye" crater - looks like lightning (or flying rocks at least) does strike twice in the same place :P

[Dennis]

Hi Rob

From Virtual Moon Atlas (VMA):

1. ALBATEGNIUS
Type: Walled plain
Geological period: Nectarian (From -3.92 billions years to -3.85 billions years)
Size:
Dimension: 139x139Km / 82x82Mi
Height: 0
Height/Wide ratio: 0.0287
Description:
Damaged circular formation.
Steep slopes riddled with craterlets.
High walls ridden by many craters with Klein to the West and Albategius B to the North.
Large flat floor. White spot to the West. Central mountain. Depressions and craterlets.

2. ERATOSTHENES
Type: Crater
Geological period: Eratosthenian (From -3.2 billions years to -1.1 billions years)
Size:
Dimension: 60x60Km / 35x35Mi
Height: 3570m / 10800ft
Height/Wide ratio: 0.0616
Description:
Circular formation situated to the South extremity of Montes Apenninus.
Very steep slopes and tormented especially to the South.
Very high walls with terraces.
Few extensive and flat floor. Central mountain with several summits. Wrinkle ridges hills and rilles.

3. PITATUS
Type: Crater
Geological period: Nectarian (From -3.92 billions years to -3.85 billions years)
Size:
Dimension: 100x100Km / 59x59Mi
Height: ?
Height/Wide ratio: Unknown height. Impossible calculation.
Description:
Circular formation situated on the South bank of Mare Nubium.
Tormented slopes supporting Pitatus G to the East the trio Weiss Z / Wurzelbauer N / Wurzelbauer W to the South and the half ghost crater Pitatus S to the North.
Few high walls of riddled with anonymous craterlets.
Flat floor filled with lava supporting Rimae Pitatus.Off-centered double mountain. Hills and craterlets. White spots. Communicating with the floor of Hesiodus by a valley in the wall.

3. HESIODUS A (Double crater)
Type: Crater
Geological period: Imbrian (From -3.85 billions years to -3.2 billions years) ?
Size:
Dimension: 15x15Km / 9x9Mi
Height: 0
Height/Wide ratio: 0
Description:
Circular formation situated on the South-West slope of Hesiodus.
Pretty steep slopes to the North and to the East.
High walls.
Very little flat floor extensive with two concentric rings.

4. HIPPARCHUS
Type: Walled plain
Geological period: Pre-Nectarian (From -4.55 billions years to -3.92 billions years)
Size:
Dimension: 155x155Km / 91x91Mi
Height: 0
Height/Wide ratio: 0.008
Description:
Deformed and wrecked formation. Place of the landing of Tintin on the Moon imagined by Herge'.
Pretty steep slopes supporting many craters whose Pickering to the North-East Halley to the South and Hind to the South-East.
Few high walls ridden to the North by Horrocks and to the East by Hipparchus G.
Very large flat floor containing Hipparchus N and the ghost crater Hipparchus X. Two parallel rilles. Hills and craterlets.


Very nice images by the way - rich depth of data.

Cheers

Dennis

[rumples riot]

great resolution and very sharp.

[Striker]

Great stuff Robert...I never get sick of quality images of the moon..well done.

[asimov]

Nice images dude.

[Robert_T]

Thanks All, especially Dennis for the detailed info on the features shown - that reference must be fantastic and your knowledge of the moon likewise to match things up. So that double crater (or crater within a crater) is called Hesiodus A... land values must have really gone down after the second rock landed there:lol:


merry christmas all,

[Dennis]

Hi Robert

VMA = Virtual Moon Atlas which is another one of those amazing free applications which can be downloaded here:
http://www.astrosurf.com/avl/UK_index.html

You can set the location, date & time to display the terminator which makes it a lot easier to recognise images of features you have captured. :nerd:

Cheers

Dennis

[RB]

Great images Robert.
:)

[ballaratdragons]

Excellent images Robert!

What settings did you use? Exposure time? Frame Rate? etc. and how did you get them so close up?

[Robert_T]

Hi Ken (Merry Christmas mate... shhh I'm having to sneak in a bit of IIS cos I'm banned by the family from indulging over the holiday). I captured these using K3CCD with brightness, gamma and saturation around 50 % and nil gain with exposure of 1/30th of second for a 60 second run in each case. stacked up anywhere from 200 to 400 of the best frames in each in registax 3 using only a little waveletting on the lower numbers. I used a 2.5x powermate to get the image scale, but they're otherwise "as is".

cheers,