The week of September 30 – October 6 to takes us from Day 2 to Day 8. This week we will highlight the craters Dawes, Moltke and Arago, viewable on Friday evening, Day 6.
Dawes1: [NE/H12] Positioned in the straits between Tranquillity and Serenity is the small 11-mile crater Dawes. Some observers say it has a small central peak, others do not. What do you think?
Moltke: [NE/K12] Just south of the Apollo 11 site is Moltke (4 miles in diameter—about 4 arc-seconds), a perfect example of a simple crater with a smooth bowl.
Arago: [NE/J12] About 50 miles from the western shore of Tranquillity you will find the crater Arago (16 mi.). This is an unusual crater. In the place of a central peak you will see a substantial ridge that extends from the center of Arago’s floor to its northern rim. The evidence suggests that there was a significant collapse of rim material which simply merged with the central peak.
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE:
Friday, October 4th, marks the 62nd anniversary of Sputnik, the first successful launching of a satellite into outer space by the Soviet Union in 1957.
1Of Dawes Limit fame.
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It is highly recommended that you get a copy of Sky and Telescope’s Field Map of the Moon, the very finest Moon map available for use at the telescope. It is available for $10.95 at www.skyandtelescope.com and on Amazon. All features mentioned in this blog will be keyed to the grid on the Field Map and will look like this: Plato: [NW/D9]
Credits:
Courtesy of Gray Photography of Corpus Christi, Texas
Lunar photos: NASA / USGS / BMDO / LROC / ASU / DLR / LOLA / Moon Globe. Used by permission
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