NexStar 50 Lunar Club Observation Log

Name: Douglas E. Johnson
NexStar Telescope Model: Nexstar 5

All viewing was done with a Zoom 8-24 mm eyepiece, replaced at times with a Plossl 25 mm, muti-coated eyepiece and at times using a Celestron No. 96-09 and a green moon filter.

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Object: 1 - Albategnius... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:20 PM
Comments: An old crater with terraced walls and a conspicuous crater( Klein) in its SW wall and a smaller one in the north. Albateginius has an off-center ( towards the west) whitish appearing central peak.

Object: 2 - Alpine Valley... Valley
Date Observed: 8/12/05 10:15 PM
Comments: Small, sharply defined gash cutting through the Alps mountains between craters Cassini and Plato. Was more prominent the following night (8/13/05; 7:40 PM)

Object: 3 - Alps... Mtn Range
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:40 PM
Comments: Mountain range on northeast shore of Mare Imbrium, running from crater Cassini to region of Plato

Object: 4 - Rupes Altai... Fault
Date Observed: 8/10/05 9:34 PM
Comments: Thick, slightly wavy, white line, forming the southwestern rim of Mare Nectaris, extending from Crater Piccolomini running north , west of crater Catharina. The rays of the sun gives the impression of a trench running along the eastern side. On 9/8/05 (9:16 PM) it is seen better as a definite ridge.

Object: 5 - Apennines... Mtn Range
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:40 PM
Comments: Curved mountain range on southeast shore of Mare Imbrium running from crater Eratosthenes to Mount Hadley

Object: 6 - Archimedes... Crater
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:30 PM
Comments: Large crater in Mare Imbrium with terraced walls, shallow floor and without central peak.

Object: 7 - Aristarchus... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 9:00 PM
Comments: Very bright crater located NW of Copernicus towards the terminator with three-fourths of the crater too bright to recognize details and its east wall dark.

Object: 8 - Bailly... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 9:15 PM
Comments: Small, elongated crater located on south limb below crater Schiller with bright south rim and dark floor. Better seen 24 hrs later (8/18/05; 9:05 PM with Moon filter)- elongated crater.

Object: 9 - Billy... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 9:24 PM
Comments: Sharply circumscribed crater rim with prominent dark floor, easily recognized with bright crater Hansteen northwest of it.

Object: 10 - Cassini... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:45 PM
Comments: Rather indistinct crater seen better with Neutral Density filter (Celestron #96-0.9). Has narrow walls, no obvious central peak and with several craterlets- one in the center of the floor (A) and another in the western floor (B).

Object: 11 - Clavius... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 9:33 PM
Comments: Crater below Tycho with small crater in NE wall (Porter) and another in SE wall (Rutherford). Thick west wall.

Object: 12 - Copernicus... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 10:00 PM
Comments: Large, prominent crater south of Carpathian mountains with terraced walls and muitple central mountain peaks.

Object: 13 - Dionysius... Crater
Date Observed: 9/9/05 8:45 PM
Comments: Small well circumscribed crater located roughly midway between crater Julius Caesar and Delambre (northwest of Ritter and Sabine) with bright west wall and dark floor. On 9/10/05 (10:15 PM) a halo is present around the crater.

Object: 14 - Euclides (Euclid)... Crater
Date Observed: 9/14/05 10:02 PM
Comments: Small, circular crater just west of the Riphaeus Mountains on the eastern edge of Ocean Procellarum directly east of crater Hansteen with the intervening mare between the two devoid of features, approximately mid-way between craters Kepler and Gassendi. Euclid has a bright west wall with a dark east wall and floor.

Object: 15 - Furnerius... Crater
Date Observed: 8/7/05 9:35 PM
Comments: Almost rectangular, large, old, walled crater with rounded rim without obvious terraces (2 day moon) with bright west wall and dark east wall. No central mountain peak. Twenty-four hours later (8/8/05/9:50 PM) crater has faded and is much less conspicuous under similar viewing conditions.

Object: 16 - Gassendi... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 10:10 PM
Comments: Very prominent crater close to terminator on northwest floor of Mare Humrorum with sharp rim, central peaks and craterlets (A) north wall and slightly north and west of A (B)

Object: 17 - Giordano Bruno... Crater
Date Observed: 9/15-99/18/05
Comments: Crater Gauss observed initially on 9/15/05 (9:56 PM) as a narrow dark slit close to terminator on northeast limb , almost beyond the resolution power of the telescope and barely observed again each subsequent evening, until the morning of the 18th (14-15 day old moon) when at 6:45 AM could be seen as slightly more than a dark slit on east limb at terminator, about half way between Mare Humboldtianum and Mare Crisium with bright east wall and dark west wall.

I seriously doubt that anyone observing from Earth has ever seen Giordano Bruno lying on the far side behind Gauss.. While it is nice to speculate that 5 monks may have described its origin from a meteorite in 1178, the current evidence suggests what they saw was most likely due to their witnessing a meter (Beta Taurid meteor) burning up in a trajectory that was limited to their field of view. I would agree with John Wood in his book, The Modern Moon, that this crater is located "back beyond Gauss and even Reimannn, beyond the regions that librations ever reveal".  Being a young crater, one would at least expect to see portions of its ray system- if it, indeed, it could be seen from Earth.

Object: 18 - Grimaldi... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 8:28 PM
Comments: Prominent terraced crater on terminator with pronounced central peak with crater Henelius conspicuous on the north.

Object: 19 - Hainzel... Crater
Date Observed: 9/13/05 10:00 PM
Comments: Complex, peanut-shaped crater(s) formation located immediately above crater Mee on the south limb, at the terminator- southwest of Capuanus.  Bright south wall, grey floor and dark north wall. Difficult to separate Hainzel, Hainzel A and Hainzel B into distinct units but with continued observations over a period of several hours, one could appreciate better the complex formation.

Object: 20 - Hercules... Crater
Date Observed: 9/7/05 8:20 PM
Comments: Circular crater with bright west terraced wall and dark floor and east wall. The following night (9/8/05; 8:40 PM) a craterlet in seen, as well as, most of the floor with only the east wall dark.

Object: 21 - John Herschel... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 9:20 PM
Comments: Promient rimmed crater close to terminator on north shore of Mare Frigoris with small crater in south wall (Horrebow).

Object: 22 - Hesiodus Sunrise Ray... Occurrence
Date Observed: 8/13/05 9:52 PM
Comments: Watched craters Petavis/Hesiodus intermittently through clouds with optimal viewing varying from 0-4 for several hours. Could see brightening on west wall but cloud cover prevented further observations after 9:52 PM. The following nights 8/14/05; 10:08 PM and 8/15/05; 9:50 PM could see ray involving the entire floor of crater Hesidonus.

Object: 23 - Kepler... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 9:55 PM
Comments: Crater located west of Copernicus with sharp outline, having dark floor and bright west wall.

Object: 24 - Linne... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:15 PM
Comments: Bright spot in mid-eastern region of Mare Serenity without observable features.

Object: 25 - Manilius... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:20 PM
Comments: Crater located in northeastern region of Mare Vaporum, west of Menelaus. Sharply defined walls with bright west wall and dark east wall.

Object: 26 - Maurolycus... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:20 PM
Comments: Large, irregular crater in southern part of moon with central peak and smaller crater(s) in north wall.

Object: 27 - Menelaus... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:20 PM
Comments: Small crater located in southwestern region of Mare Serenity with sharply outlined rim, bright west wall and dark east wall.

Object: 28 - Messier A... Crater
Date Observed: 9/12/05 10:59 PM
Comments: Small bright crater immediately west of Messier without recognizable features and two rays running west, giving the impression of a comet. Better able to distinguish Messier from Messier A on 9/13/05; 9:17 PM.

Object: 29 - Petavius... Crater
Date Observed: 8/7/05 9:30 PM
Comments: Large, walled crater, close to terminator (2 day moon) with bright west wall and dark east wall; prominent central (mountains) peak. Twenty-four hours later ( 9:53 PM;8/8/05), under similar viewing conditions, has faded and is far less conspicuous.

Object: 30 - Piccolomini... Crater
Date Observed: 8/10/05
Comments: Old crater at the southeastern termination of the Altai Scarp with bright west wall, dark east wall and prominent central peak.

Object: 31 - Pico... Mountain
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:31 PM
Comments: Isolated mountain south of crater Plato on Mare Imbrium floor, easily recognized as a bright white speck.

Object: 32 - Plato... Crater
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:42 PM
Comments: Prominent, large crater located in Alps. Crater similar to Archimedes with shallow floor without central peak. Irregular rim.

Object: 33 - Plinius (Pliny)... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 9:45 PM
Comments: Bright area northeast region of Mare Tranquility witch could not be resolved into well-defined crater.

Object: 34 - Posidonius... Crater
Date Observed: 8/12/05 9:30 PM
Comments: Old elliptical crater with terraced walls, NE shore of Mare Serenity and adjacent to Lacus Somniorium with crater Chacornac in its SE wall.

Object: 35 - Proclus... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 9:37 PM
Comments: Well defined small crater east of Palus Somni with three-fourths of the crater floor and east wall very bright.

Object: 36 - Pyrenees Mountains... Mtn Range
Date Observed: 8/9/05 9:45 PM
Comments: Mountain range (ridge) which appears broken- running north to south along eastern border of Mare Nectaris. It appears to begin at crater Gutenberg and runs south, west of crater Colombi and Colombo A.

Object: 37 - Pythagoras... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 8:56 PM
Comments: Located on north limb with dark floor and bright north rim.

Object: 38 - Pytheas... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 9:05 PM
Comments: Crater located north of Carpathian mountains and south of crater Lambert on floor of Mare Imbrium.

Object: 39 - Reiner Gamma... Discolor
Date Observed: 8/17/05 9:15 PM
Comments: Whitish area west of crater Reiner with no discernible features.

Object: 40 - Reinhold... Crater
Date Observed: 8/18/05 9:10 PM
Comments: Located southwest of Copernicus and northeast of Lansburg with white floor and poor rim detail.

Object: 41 - Rima Ariadaeus... Fault
Date Observed: 9/9/05 8:52 PM
Comments: Bright line running west from crater Ariadaeus (bright without specific details) on the shore of Mare Tranquility for short distance to the terminator. The following night craters Argripa and Godin are readily visible with crater Julius Caesar to the northwest with the intervening lunar floor smooth with no observable fault.

Object: 42 - Rupes Cauchy... Fault
Date Observed: 9/07/05 8:55 PM
Comments: Slightly elevated, keloid-looking ridge running west of crater Cauchy (southeast to northwest).

Object: 43 - Rupes Recta... Fault
Date Observed: 9/11/05 9:10 PM
Comments: Prominent dark, thickened lined running south to northwest of crater Birt and west of crater Thebit on Mare Nubrium.

Object: 44 - Schiller... Crater
Date Observed: 8/15/05 10:20 PM
Comments: Elongated crater located close to south limb, just north of four craters running west to south (Segner, Zucchius, Bettinus and Kircher). Schiller has bright south wall.

Object: 45 - Sinus Medii... Bay
Date Observed: 8/1205 10:00 PM
Comments: Small dark surface area near center of moon, southwest of Mare Vaporum and north of craters Hipparchus/Horrocks.

Object: 46 - Theophilus... Crater
Date Observed: 8/10/05 9:30 PM
Comments: Large, well-defined crater- the 1st of a chain of three (Theophilus, Cyrillis, Catharina) lying at the western junction of Mare Nectaris and Sinus Asperitatis- with prominent terraced walls, smooth floor and prominent central peaks. The west wall is bright, while that on the east is dark.

Object: 47 - Timocharis... Crater
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:35 PM
Comments: Crater located west of Archimdes and north of Eratosthenes on Mare Imbrium floor. Has sharp rim with 1/2 floor on east dark; bright west wall.

Object: 48 - Tycho... Crater
Date Observed: 8/13/05 8:28 PM
Comments: Inconspicuous tonight (8 day moon) with thick terraced walls and central peak. Ray system not present at this time. On 9/15/05, 9:45 PM the ray system is quite prominent running radially in all directions.

Object: 49 - Vallis Schroteri... Valley
Date Observed: 8/17/05 8:59 PM
Comments: Dark hairline running north and then west of crater Heradatus, close to crater Aristarchus. Thin white bans outlining inner dark region.

Object: 50 - Wargentin... Crater
Date Observed: 8/17/05 8:46 PM
Comments: Elongated terraced crater with dark northeast wall and bright southwest wall located on south limb. Adjacent craters Nasmyth and Phocylides seen.