The week of October 20-26 takes us from Day 1 to Day 5. This week we will highlight the moon crater Humboldt, visible on Tuesday night close to the terminator.
Humboldt: [SE/M18] This moon crater is best viewed when there is a pronounced libration; tonight, it is caught just inside the leading edge of the Moon. Because of foreshortening, appears to be extremely elongated north to south. It has a cluster of central peaks, and if you’re lucky, you might spot a long catena (crater chain) extending from the northeast rim of the moon crater.
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE
The Orionid meteor shower peaks after midnight on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Mercury is 2° north of the Moon.
======================
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
- Moon Crater Aristoteles, Close to the Terminator - November 10, 2025
- Complex Moon Crater Pythagoras - November 3, 2025
- Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina Moon Craters West of Mare Nectaris - October 27, 2025