Moon 27th October 2017

Look at how much more of the Moon we can see in 48 hours. The first photo shows the shape of the on the 25th overlaid in a transparent green colour on the Moon of the 27th. It is a little bit bigger so a whole lot better!

Time 18:50.

Distance 249,091 miles.

First quarter phase.

180 degrees S compass point (azimuth).

Altitude 18.5 degrees.

Moon 25th October 2017

Today is the 51st anniversary (1966) of Luna 12 going into lunar orbit!

It had a television system that took 1100-line photographs - about twice the resolution of the old UK television system!

It took pictures of the Sea of Rains and the Aristarchus crater, which you can't see in the photo so I've marked the locations.

We're not sure what happened to Luna 12 but we think it decayed from orbit and crashed into the Moon, location unknown.

Time 18:15.
Distance 251,626 miles.
Waxing crescent phase.
190 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 16.1 degrees.

Moon 5th October 2017

I'm a bit behind with this photo but it was the last time I saw the Moon - over 2 weeks ago!

2 days and 46 years since Luna 19 went into orbit around the Moon. It's a full moon now but if I had been standing here 46 years ago it would be a waning gibbous.

Now:
Time 23:00.
Distance 234,067 miles.
Full moon phase.
140 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 32.3 degrees.

1971:
Distance 221,726 miles.
Waning gibbous phase.
120 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 38.8 degrees.

Moon 2nd October 2017

Very cloudy at 7:15 (first two photos) but 2 1/2 hours later and the sky was clear!
You can see some of the features mentioned by Pete Lawrence in The Sky at Night programme (

@16:00 minutes):
1, Mare Tranquillitatis (where Apollo 11 landed)
2, Tycho (which is only 80km across but has some beautiful rays)
3, Montes Apenninus or Apennines
4, Archimedes
5, Autolycus
6, Aristillus
7, Reiner Gamma (which looks like an eye) (not visible in this photo!)
(first and second photos, 19:15 / third photo, 21:45)
Distance 240,323 / 240,323 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase / waxing gibbous phase.
130 degrees SE compass point / 165 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 11.9 / 24.3 degrees.

The Sky at Night

The latest 'The Sky at Night' is really very good. It's about the Moon - 'Return to the Moon?'

It's still availiable to watch on the BBC iPlayer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b097xp51/the-sky-at-night-return-to-the-moon

Moon 1st October 2017

Spot the Moon! Too much cloud.

Time 19:54.
Distance 243,510 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
150 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17.3 degrees.

Moon 29th September 2017

This time the sky's a bit wet but suprisingly you can see good detail.

The terminator is on Copernicus!

Time 19:31.
Distance 248,731 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
160 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17.2 degrees.

Moon 28th September 2017 & Moon 3rd October 2017

Happy 46th Anniversary to Luna 19!

The Luna 19 spacecraft was unmanned. It lanched on 28th September 1971 and went into orbit on 3rd October 1971 (although some sources say it was the 2nd!).

It investigated mascons in the Maria on the Moon. Mascons are unusual concentrations of mass on a planet or moon's surface.

It also studied the Sun's magnetic field, carried by the solar wind!

Instruments included a Gamma-ray spectrometer, cosmic-ray detectors and radiation detectors - wow!

This year's weather was very different to the weather in 1971. It looks like it was warmer and dryer in 1971. On the 28th, the Moon was very clear but on the 3rd it was cloudy. Look at those photos!

yyyy mmm   max    min   rain   sun
           temp   temp  mm     hours
1971 Sep   19.0   8.2   18.6   157.5
1971 Oct   15.7   6.0   59.1   142.0
2017 Sep   17.3   9.3   88.6   116.8
(source: www.metoffice.gov.uk , 1971 temperatures are mean max/mins)

(first photo, 28th September / second photo, 3rd October)
Time 19:40 / 23:45.
Distance 250,359 / 237,085 miles.
First quarter phase / waxing gibbous phase.
180 degrees S compass point (azimuth) (both photos).
Altitude 17.1 / 29.8 degrees.

Moon facts homework.

Moon 26th September 2017, 19:53

Fuzzy moon!
Lots of water vapour in the sky.

Distance 250,359 miles.
First quarter phase.
185 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17 degrees.

Moon 13th September 2017

Morning Moon.
9 o'clock in the morning.
Although it's light, you can still see a lot of good detail.

Time 09:00.
Distance 229,847 miles.
Last quarter phase.
225 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 48.5 degrees.

Moon 6th September 2017

Cloud!

Time 23:10.
Distance 247,160 miles.
Full moon phase.
140 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 23.4 degrees.

Moon 5th September 2017

Full Moon!
Howl!

I mentioned on 2nd September how bright Aristarchus was - it looks bright even on the full moon!

Time 22:50.
Distance 242,175 miles.
Full moon phase.
147 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 22 degrees.

Moon 2nd September 2017

Can you see the bright dot on the terminator? ... The Aristarchus Crater!

It's bright because it's young, only 450 million years old. Young for the Moon anyway! So it hasn't been weathered by the solar wind yet.

It's nearly 3 times deeper than the 'Grand' Canyon!

It was named after a Greek astronomer.

Time 20:30.
Distance 247,160 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
150 degrees SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 14.3 degrees.

Moon 1st September 2017

The cloud's back!
I got a photo in a gap in the cloud and it made a shadow over the Mare Imbrium. Otherwise we would have been able to see where Lunokhod 1 landed!

Time 21:30.
Distance 249,138 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
178 degrees S compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 17.4 degrees.

Moon 31st August 2017

BIRMINGHAM on the MOON!!

These two photos are interesting because they show how much the Moon has rotated over 2 1/2 hours.

But even more interesting is that you can see Birmingham! Not the city, but the crater.
It's a disintegrated crater and all that's left are low walls and a rough surface with craterlets! Even so, it's still bigger than the city - 92 km diameter and 1.8 km deep.

It was discovered by the Irish astronomer John Birmingham in 1866 and you can see his telescope in the Milltown museum, Co. Galway!

Time 20:30 (first photo).
Time 23:00 (second photo).
Distance 250,529 miles.
Waxing gibbous phase.
175 degrees S compass point (azimuth) (first photo).
210 degrees SW compass point (azimuth) (second photo).
Altitude 17.1 degrees (first photo).
Altitude 12.4 degrees (second photo).

Moon 28th August 2017

"Moon illusion" Mystery!

The Moon looked very big in the sky tonight.

It was very low in the sky, only 4 degrees above the horizon.

This is called the "Moon illusion", which is an optical illusion that causes the Moon to appear larger when near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky.

No-one knows 100% for certain why this happens, neither Ptolemy nor NASA!

Time 22:30.
Distance 250,011 miles.
First quarter phase.
240 degrees SW compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 4 degrees.

Moon 27th August 2017

The terminator tonight is on... Surveyor 5!

Surveyor 5 landed on Mare Tranquillitatis in 1967 (near the Apollo 11 landing).

It had a TV camera that transmitted 19,049 images.

A magnet on one of its feet detected magnetic materials in the lunar soil.

It was made by Hughes Aircraft, owned by Howard Hughes.

The total cost for the 7 Surveyor spacecraft was $469 million - wow!

Time 20:10.
Distance 248,201 miles.
Waxing crescent phase.
220 degrees SW compass point.

Moon 26th August 2017

I tried using the tripod and a self-timer but it was a faff because the slightest movement meant the Moon went out of the viewfinder! It was easier to hand hold. The tripod needs a geared head but they're very expensive! I think I'll stick to hand holding.

Time 20:50.
Distance 245,708 miles.
Waxing crescent phase.
235 degrees SW compass point.

Moon 5th August 2017

This is another (summer) problem I have - too much evening light - it looks nice but doesn't show any detail!
The second picture was about an hour later.