The week of October 14-20 takes us from Lunar Day 12 to Day 18. This week we will highlight the basin Grimaldi, visible on Tuesday night.
Grimaldi: [SW/K3; L=68°W] In comparison to Aristarchus (Day 11), which is the brightest spot on the Moon, Grimaldi is the darkest. Sunrise over Grimaldi is quite a lovely sight. The rim around Grimaldi has been heavily eroded by subsequent impacts, but once the floor is illuminated you will see quite a number of small craters, mounds, spots, streaks, and wrinkle ridges. LTP’s have also been spotted in the region, and some observers have reported being able to see a St. Andrew’s Cross emblazoned on the west wall. Grimaldi, in spite of its diameter of 143 miles, is a genuine basin, and if you look closely you might be able to trace out vestiges of an external ring.
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE
Full Moon is on Thursday.
On Saturday, the Pleiades is 0.1° south of the Moon.
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
- Janssen – Ancient Impact Moon Crater - November 4, 2024
- First Two Segments of Chain of Large Moon Craters: Langrenus and Vandelinus - October 28, 2024
- Largest and Most Conspicuous Moon Crater – Maurolycus - October 21, 2024