The week of July 21-27 takes us from Day 27 to Day 3. This week we will highlight the moon crater Humboldt, visible on Saturday night close to the terminator.
Humboldt:1 [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
On Tuesday, Jupiter is 5° south of the Moon.
On Sunday, the Delta Aquarid meteors peak. Look in the SE after midnight.
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.
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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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- Moon Crater Humboldt Best Viewed When Pronounced Libration - October 20, 2025