Visit the moon atlas4/8/2023 Gibbous moon, three-quarters of lunar surface is visibleįull moon, sun lights the total of lunar surface New moon, appears as a thin shaped crescent Rilles, long narrow channels formed from cooled lava that sank into the moon’s surface Marias, gray blotches in dark lowland plains created by hardened lava some say maria look like seas or ponds Terminator, a rough line that separates the lunar day and night Possibly in the near future you will be able to spot a small community of shelters on the moon’s surface as we begin to move further into space. But even large telescopes can’t resolve the small amount of debris left behind by the astronauts. Mounted on a tripod binocs will be steady and give you a much sharper image. A pair of binoculars with higher power and larger objective lenses for more light gathering ability will allow you to see more detail. After a close look at the moon you will probably want to see more. The light gathering and magnification of the optics make stargazing a great pastime. Take a closer look at the moonĮven though you can see the moon with your naked eyes in whatever phase the moon is in, observing the detail and diversity of its surface with binoculars is your passport to the night sky. You see the same phenomena here on earth at sunset, shadows get longer as the angle of the sunlight grows smaller when the sun begins to set. This light casts long shadows that highlight the shape of the surface highlighting wrinkles so the lighter shades of the highlands appear as rugged mountains. In the terminator area the low light angle from the sun casts a shadow in sharp relief showing lunar features. Light from the sun strikes the moon at a low angle creating a twilight zone. The “man in the moon” you might think you see is really a pattern of dark areas that appear as two eyes and a nose.Īt a new or half moon explore the terminator line that separates the daylight area from the night so shadows highlight craters and high spots. Between these plains are long narrow channels called rilles formed from cooled lava that sank into the moon’s surface. Many of the moon landings took advantage of these rather than flat areas. Smooth dark areas known as lowland plains are hardened lava called marias. You’ll see gray streaks called a ray system surround some of the larger craters. Notice all its lunar craters are the result of impact from thousands of meteorites. With binoculars explore craters, marias and rilles (see definitions in moon words below) on the lunar surface. Tip: A moon calendar is a good way to see an overview of the cycle of the moon’s phases throughout the year. During these phases the part of the moon that is not illuminated by sunlight still reflects some light called “earthshine”.Ĭlick here for a NASA video showing the Moon Phases. After the full moon the moon begins its waning cycle back to a new moon. Throughout the cycle, the moon passes from new to full while its visible side grows from a small crescent shape to a full moon. It changes to gibbous with humped sides or three-quarters full followed by a full moon when the sun fully lights the side of the moon that faces earth. It is a half-moon when the sun fully lights the side of the moon that faces earth and appears like a half circle. The first time you focus on the moon you’ll notice that the moon’s phases begin at its first quarter (the moon is waxing) as a new moon and appears in its crescent phase. Tips to learn about the cycle of moon phases Here’s a link to more about the Artemis launch program from The Planetary Society. Soon Artemis will launch in our next phase of moon exploration. The study of the moon has come a long way since 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first astronaut to step on the surface of the moon saying, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Scientists think the moon was created when a huge rock crashed into earth and flew out into space, orbited the earth and slowly gravity caused the pieces collided and formed the moon. There’s a lot to learn about the moon and the moon phases. As the earth’s only natural satellite, the moon has always intrigued us and the more we send satellites into space, the more the moon captures our interest. landings on the moon which many of us remember. That’s quite a distance for earth’s closest neighbor in the solar system, which is part of the Milky Way galaxy. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tells us the moon is an average of 238,855 miles away from earth.
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