Pic 1. The moon's South Polar Region and the magnificent 232 km crater Clavius with its 4,800m (16,000 feet) walls and more recent impacted floor makes an interesting study. Although this huge crater overshadows the 87 km crater Tycho, which is only 600m (2,000 feet) less in depth, on the night of a full moon the smaller Tycho takes on an impressive display with its brilliant ray pattern.
Pic 2. To view the imposing Altai Scarp from the rim of 90km Crater Piccolomini as it snakes across 480 kilometers of crater scared landscape, its towering ten and a half thousand feet high bluffs, would be a sight one would never forget. This mind boggling scarp ends its tortuous path to the left - in this picture - of the 101km crater Catharina with its 2700m (9,000 feet) walls, noticeably fractured with more recent impacts.
Pic 3. The distant peaks on the moon's limb, although very small in this pic, are similar in appearance to the moonscape backdrop of the recent TV pictures depicting the American astronauts commemorating their earlier conquest of the moon. These hills are the raised rims of distant craters and as in the American pictures they appear to have a unusual smooth whitish appearance. The 445 km long by 2,500m (8,500feet) deep Rheita valley starting from the 70km crater Rheita with its central peak and the 86 km crater Metius 2500m in depth, south of it - above in this pic - appears to have been impacted in an earlier period with eroded walls and secondary craters. Could the elongated crater below the Rheita crater have been gouged out by a low angle impact or a series of over laying craters? The absence of an atmosphere on the moon is a downside for astronauts, but a blessing for astro photography.
Hi Geoff and DJDD
8 inch self made Dob and a Toucam. Processed in Registax finished off in Photoshop 5.
Thanks for your remarks. It's a thrill to get a good pic and I do like to know what I've taken. The reason that I try to provide accurate details.
Dennis G
