Craters - 14 Days...
Keplar:
Date: August 10, 2003
Telescope: 4.5 Celestron
Eyepeice: 25mm Celestron - yellow filter
Time: (no specific time listed. reports indicate early evening.)
Comments: Despite thermal issues, I set down on the lunar surface anyhow, and tonight I chose yellow. It took about 10 minutes for the view to quit popping in and out on me, so at least the new little beast has a relatively quick stabilization time. I must say that Grimaldi looks quite nice in sunshine colors. It is never exactly the most outstanding of features, but the sad clown is a constant reminder that the Moon is about to reach it's max and turn the lights down soon enough. Euclid looks like a bright beacon, and Aristarchus is very impressive as well. Keplar absolutely rocks in this light! Talk about reflective.... And Copernicus, and Tycho, and... and... And that's enough. I really like the Moon. Really I do. But why does it have to hang out on a clear night?
Keplar is a difficult crater to photograph because it is so bright. Hopefully this frame will help to show you what to look for.
Grimaldi:
Date: July 22, 2002
Telescope: 4.5 Celestron
Eypieces: 25mm Celestron, 10mm Celestron
Time: (no specific time listed. reports state early evening.)
Comments: Setting the 4.5 out near the edge of the field, I leveled down on La Lune to see Grimaldi the way it is meant to be seen, a bright, broken ring of mountains with a smooth, dark floor. Toward the eastern edge, its' upslope of foothills look just remarkable with the southern edge outlined by black shadows. Just to the north is Hevelius... broad and low with its' off center hill shining in the sunrise. A bit more north is Cavalerius, not exactly the most outstanding crater on the surface, but interesting because one of the first lunar landing probes made its' touchdown in this area almost 40 years ago.
Grimaldi and surronding features...
Date: May 3, 2004
Telescope: 4.5 Celestron
Eyepieces: 17mm Sirius Plossl, 12.3mm ED Epic
Skies: 4 9/10
Time: 9:45 p.m. EDST
Comments: Grimaldi in all its' glory! While so much light makes it difficult to see small features, there is no problem with Grimaldi itself. A smooth appearing grey floor, and basically featureless like Plato. What really kicks is the presence of nearby Ricolli, who also appears as a dark patch. What I wasn't expecting, and heaven help me should I drool on my good 12.3mm eyepiece, was all the "on the edge" features! Wonderful things we seldom see like Rimae Ricolli and the Montes Cordillera Unfortunately, crater Damoiseau, Lohrman and Rima Grimaldi are overexposed, but seeing Hartwig on the terminator sure makes up for that!
Definately worth waiting on...
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