Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Moon 29th October 2018
If the last post was 'all Greek' to you, here's Double Greek crater shadows!
Yes, I'm on about Eudoxus and Aristoteles (named after Eudoxus of Cnidus and Aristotle, both Greek astronomers) at the top of Montes Caucasus And even better, they're on the terminator!
The strange things about these craters is their shape. Eudoxus appears oval from Earth, but is really circular - an optical illusion! On the other hand, Aristoteles is a really strange rounded hexagonal shape!
Time 23:05 (GMT).
Distance 231,120 miles.
Waning gibbous phase.
80 degrees E compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 20.7 degrees.
Yes, I'm on about Eudoxus and Aristoteles (named after Eudoxus of Cnidus and Aristotle, both Greek astronomers) at the top of Montes Caucasus And even better, they're on the terminator!
The strange things about these craters is their shape. Eudoxus appears oval from Earth, but is really circular - an optical illusion! On the other hand, Aristoteles is a really strange rounded hexagonal shape!
Time 23:05 (GMT).
Distance 231,120 miles.
Waning gibbous phase.
80 degrees E compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 20.7 degrees.
Moon 19th and 20th October 2018
With the clear and frosty nights we have seen some great moons the past week.
But how much of the Moon do we actually see?
Here's a method I thought of to work it out, using the idea that you really have two circles - the Moon's circumference and the circle formed by extrapolating the Terminator arc.
Working out the diameter of the Moon easy because the terminator 'horns' are always at the 'top' and 'bottom', and after a bit of fiddling, you can work out the distance between the left/right edge of the moon and the nearest part of the terminator.
(Don't forget the most you can ever see of the Moon is 50%!)
Time 17:45 / 20:00 (GMT).
Distance 249,599 / 247,779 miles.
Waxing gibbous / Waxing gibbous phase.
130 / 145 degrees SE / SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 8.1 / 20.8 degrees.
But how much of the Moon do we actually see?
Here's a method I thought of to work it out, using the idea that you really have two circles - the Moon's circumference and the circle formed by extrapolating the Terminator arc.
Working out the diameter of the Moon easy because the terminator 'horns' are always at the 'top' and 'bottom', and after a bit of fiddling, you can work out the distance between the left/right edge of the moon and the nearest part of the terminator.
(Don't forget the most you can ever see of the Moon is 50%!)
Time 17:45 / 20:00 (GMT).
Distance 249,599 / 247,779 miles.
Waxing gibbous / Waxing gibbous phase.
130 / 145 degrees SE / SE compass point (azimuth).
Altitude 8.1 / 20.8 degrees.
Sunday, 7 October 2018
Moon 23rd to 26th September 2018
4 big moons over the 23rd to 26th September.
Great to look at but only a mad man would send a rocket to
the moon on these dates; just look at the history!
23rd September 1958, 60 years ago, Soviet Russia launched
the R-7 Semyorka 8K72; mission - hit the moon! Take off, tick tock, tick tock,
93 seconds, BANG!
One year later, 24th September 1959, USA launched Pioneer
P-1. On the launch pad, BOOM!
Another year, 25th September 1960, Pioneer P-30 went 230
miles into the sky, lost power, WALLOP!
Six years on, 20th
September 1966, Surveyor 2 was nearly there until engine malfunction...
Cartwheel into Copernicus Crater, CRASH!
23rd September 1969, the
anniversary of Semyorka 8K72, the Russian Kosmos-300 had engine failure leaving
it LOST IN SPACE! Well, stranded in Earth orbit anyway. Unhappy Anniversary!
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