The week of February 10-16 takes us from Lunar Day 13 to Day 18. This week we will highlight the Cauchy Domes on the moon, visible on Sunday night near the terminator.
Cauchy domes: [NE/J13; L=36°E] During sunrise over this area, you will have an opportunity to view the first of your lunar domes, low rounded features that resulted from magma which rose from underneath and created blister-like hills on the Moon’s surface. Sometimes the lava actually burst out of the tops of these domes, and you can still see the resulting vents. Both types of domes can be seen here just south of Rupes Cauchy. Can you see the tiny crater pit on top of Cauchy (omega), the dome to the east?
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE
On February 15, 1564, Galileo is born.
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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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