With all the high resolution `frame picked' webcam photos being made these days its easy to settle with the idea that similar detail can't be seen _visually_ with modest instruments. I was reminded last night that with enough aperture to keep the exit pupil bright enough at the limit of magnification you can.
The seeing in the earlier part of the night last night was diffraction limited for my 14" F5 , at least the airy disc at times showed no breakup, just a slow swimming which distorted it a little but didn't break down for periods of time.
Observing the crater Gassendi with its valley full of craterlets and rills, I was tempted to at least sketch any notable finest features and compare them with amateur stacked web cam pics. I found the photo below on the WWW , of Gassendi with a Takahashi 25cm at F27 that is the result of a lot of processing and stacking.
I've added the white spot below the central mountain range. Just above white spot is a small chain of 5 craterlets running diagonally up towards upper left. I noted these craters on my sketch as they were unique, but at the same time all the other detail visible on this picture could be seen for extended periods with just a steady undualation of the image. It is a very good representation of what I could see visually all at once.
I guess my point is, with a good temperature settled system, if the seeing is good you can have truly spectacular views like the webcam guys get , in real time, you just need patience and some good seeing.
There is something really, really special about observing the Moon, live through the eyepiece, on a night of good seeing that viewing no image can match.
Nice report Mark, and I agree.. while I love imaging at the moment, I always take a moment to enjoy an eyepiece view of what i'm imaging both before and after my imaging session.
The moon is so full of detail and the different phases hold something unique to see each time.
One of my best memories of the moon is observing it laying flat out on the ground at Wiruna through your old 8" Bino's many years ago. Still an amazing site.
The Bowen scope also has offered me great Lunar surface detail over the years.
