Date: 1st March 2012.
Conditions: High thin cloud obscuring most stars, but lunar observation of the 1st quarter moon possible.
Even in the cloud, the craters along the terminator – the dividing line between night and day – show exceptional detail. This is due to the long shadows being cast in this area, compared to the fully lit area which looks very flat and featureless in comparison. At the terminator, crater walls and mountain ridges are thrown into sharp relief by the long shadows and look spectacular.
Observing towards the north, there is deep shadow highlighting the deep crater walls of Eratosthenes in particular towards the southern edge of Mare Imbrium / northern edge of Sinus Aestuum. Plato, at the north of Mare Imbrium is also nicely detailed along with Archimedes, Aristillus and Autolycus making a nice triangle of craters towards the south east.
A lovely ring of mountains is shown around the eastern edge of Mare Imbrium. Looking up into the Montes Appenninus / Montes Haemus it is possible to locate (using charts as a guide) the approximate landing site of Apollo 15, which to be honest in these mountains looks like quite an ambitious site to choose. Moving further east into the Mare Serenitatis and on south into Mare Tranquillitatis (the Sea of Tranquility) it is possible to ‘crater hop’ to the Apollo 11 landing site. Very strange to look there and think of people being there 43 years ago and I wonder how that specific spot was chosen?