![]() ![]() If you don’t have access to such a filter, try these two methods of reducing the Moon’s brilliance: high magnification and a device called an aperture mask. Manufacturers sell small ones that screw into the barrels of eyepieces. Many observers use a neutral density filter to cut down the light. The Moon is a bright object, and it’s even brighter through a telescope. The highlands are a Moon watcher’s treasure-trove of mountains, valleys, bright areas, and shadows. That honor goes to the highlands, which consist of ancient lunar surface rock and materials thrown out during previous explosive impacts. The dark material inside maria is solidified lava, and it dates back to periods of volcanism that ended about a billion years after the Moon formed (which happened some 4.5 billion years ago).īut the lava isn’t even the oldest part of the Moon. Scientists differentiate features on the Moon between lighter areas, called highlands, and darker features, called maria (the Latin word for seas). What’s more, these features change in real time, and you can see striking differences in just one night. On large crater floors, you can follow “wall shadows” cast by the sides of craters hundreds or thousands of feet high. While no telescope, not even Hubble, can pick out the actual Apollo hardware that remains on the lunar surface, it’s not hard to find the half-dozen spots where 12 moonwalkers made history.Īlong that shadow line, you’ll see mountaintops protruding high enough to catch sunlight, while dark, low-lying terrain surrounds them. If you’re a Moon watcher - and even if you’re not - you need to check these six sites off your lifetime observing list. The 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 is the perfect time to view the places where the Apollo astronauts landed. And unlike the Sun, it’s completely safe to look at with the naked eye. The Moon is easy to find, and you can view it even under strong light pollution. Following the Moon through a lunar month - from its first appearance as a New Moon in the evening sky to its next such appearance - will demonstrate its dynamic nature like no book or magazine article can. Luna offers something perfect for observers of all skill levels and with all sizes of telescopes: a face that’s always changing. Pointing a telescope at the Moon is an easy way to get into the immensely rewarding pursuit of amateur astronomy. ![]()
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