![]() Montes Apenninus, the mountain range that extends between the two for nearly 500 miles (400 km), is the moon’s highest with the peak of Mons Huygens taking top spot at 18,000 feet (5500 m). The Sea of Rains (Imbrium), top center left, is an immense impact crater roughly 1 billion years old that borders the Sea of Serenity to its east. Some of the maria, the most conspicuous of all lunar features, have such optimistic names as Sea of Tranquility, of Fecundity, Nectar. Tycho crater at about 108 million years old is much younger than most of the larger craters that define the dark circular lava plains, the so-called maria (seas). Spokes radiate to up to 932 miles (1500 km) from a center that features several volcanic peaks, the highest of which is 5200 feet (1600 m) above the crater’s floor. One standout feature that draws the eye is the bright Tycho crater, a southern area that looks like it got whacked by a gigantic snowball (the composition of the impactor has yet to be determined). This image covers an area of 124 by 109 miles (200 by 175 km), including the 53 mile (86 km) diameter Tycho. The Tycho Crater is a conspicuous lunar impact crater in the southern half of the moon with a basalt floor and central mountains. Any properly working instrument suited to the task will do, but having it stabilized pays big dividends. This is a good problem to have because getting up close and personal with the surface details imparts a real thrill. Unlike most other celestial objects, the full moon so dazzling that you’ll need optical aid to reduce its glare. on the 9th, the moment when it is 100 percent illuminated. Their orbits are swift, so you’ll find these Galilean moons in a different spot each night. Its largest satellites Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are startlingly beautiful targets in the smallest of instruments. 26, reaches its peak brightness at magnitude -2.94 on Oct. Brilliant Jupiter, coming off its closest opposition in 59 years Sept. 6, witness the waxing gibbous (convex) moon almost exactly between Jupiter and Saturn - separated nearly 44 degrees - above the east-southeastern horizon. Note that from the Northern Hemisphere, the right side of the moon is illuminated as it advances to full phase, and the left side is sunlit as it wanes back to new.Īn hour after sunset Oct. The third (last) quarter is on the meridian in the bright blue morning sky 11:15 a.m. The first quarter phase is high in the southern sky on the north/south meridian at 7 p.m. The moon waxes - phases to full - through the first week of the month, rising each and every night 50 minutes later. 20, but you’ll certainly see October’s moon, day and night, at least whenever it’s above the horizon. When you’re 3 years old, you might not see the Great Square of Pegasus directly overhead when it culminates at 9 p.m. What’s more, the moon is easy to track down and explore. It’s also about getting outside into the cool, flying solo or otherwise, to breathe, to stroll, to be alive in the nighttime air. After all, skywatching isn’t just about fancy telescopes, distant nebulae or ticking off celestial conquests. Although this is largely untrue because of overwhelming moonlight, the idea doesn’t miss the mark entirely. Some novice skywatchers have made the claim that the best nights are those around the full moon. Of course, optical aids of almost any sort dramatically improve the experience. ![]() ![]() This month is perfectly suited for naked eye observations of the moon and its cosmological compatriots. In the autumn, there are few things that say “October nights” than its signature full moon.
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