The week of September 9-15 takes us from Day 6 to Day 12. This week we will highlight the moon crater Maurolycus, viewable on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, located in the SE quadrant of the Field Map.
Maurolycus: [SE/P11; L=14°E] Let us venture briefly into a region where angels fear to tread, the lunar Highlands. Plunge in and look for the moon crater Maurolycus. Although the area looks confusing, Maurolycus will be the largest and most conspicuous moon crater in this sector. It is a breathtaking sight under an early morning Sun and should not be missed. Maurolycus displays a rich diversity of different types of features. How many can you see? The central mountain peaks are so tall that they are illuminated long before the Sun finds its way to the dark floor. Also notice how Maurolycus overlaps a smaller unnamed crater on its southern border. This flies in the face of the rule that says younger craters are usually smaller.
OF ADDITIONAL INTEREST IN SPACE
New Moon is on Monday.
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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