Lunar Features

Background Reading: Stars & Planets pp. 302-312; your ASTR 110 text about the Moon.

Introduction

The days near first quarter are good times to carefully observe the Moon's surface features. The moon is high in the evening sky so conveniently located; the illumination from the side highlights the lunar features better than the direct illumination at full Moon; and the bright moonlit sky makes it more difficult to observe other objects.
 

Objective

Observe the Moon, first just using your unaided eyes, then with the lab telescopes. Sketch prominent lunar features and identify using lunar maps.

Observations

You will need: pencil, eraser, unlined paper for sketching (a template will be provided but is not mandatory), log book.

Start by recording what you can see on the moon with only your eyes. Note the date, time, position of the Moon in the sky. Use the smaller circle on the handout as the guide for a sketch. Draw the terminator boundary between the illuminated and non-illuminated part of the sun. Outline the lunar features that are visible, and use shading to indicate lighter or darker areas.

Then, using the lab telescopes, draw a more detailed sketch of the Moon in the larger circle on the handout. Use whichever eyepiece seems best to you, but note which one(s) you chose and why. Of course you won't be able to draw everything you see—there's simply too much there. And the need to share a telescope means you will have to pick and choose. But include what catches your attention, and try to capture something of the variety of features visible. Some features you may find:

Most of us are not experienced artists. The perfection of the drawings is not the point in this exercise; do what you can. But it is important to look carefully at the Moon and carefully try to record what you are seeing. It will be useful for you to make notes about the features you observe, either on the drawing page or separately, in your log.

Report

Write a short report on your observation, including an introduction, description of the observation, observing date and time, conditions (including seeing quality if you can tell), general comments on the phase of the Moon and its position in the sky. Describe the success of the observation, and what may have limited your success.

Using the maps in the text or other resources, identify and label each feature on your drawing.

The following template is available separately in PDF or GIF format.
 
 
 
 

Donald L. Mickey (mickey@ifa.hawaii.edu)

Last modified: February 17, 2005
http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/users/mickey/ASTR110L_S05/LunarFeatures.html