The week of September 22-28 takes us from Day 1 to Day 7. This week we will highlight the moon crater Humboldt, visible on Tuesday night close to the eastern edge.
Humboldt1: [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, it 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 crater.
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE
On Wednesday, Mars is 4° north of the moon.
1 William von Humboldt (22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835) was a Prussian philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of the Humboldt University of Berlin.
======================
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 Endymion - February 2, 2026
- Moon Crater Plato - January 26, 2026
- Moon Crater Cassini – Created on Imbrium floor Before Lavas Started to Flow - January 19, 2026