Astro photography


Moon, February 24, 2007. This view of the Moon shows the central area and the southern highlands when the Moon is 8.25 days past new. This is more commonly known as the first quarter phase. The large, distinct crater at the north end of the chain of craters is called Ptolemaeus, and it's about 153 km in diameter. The low angle of the sun shows that the floor of the crater seems to be slightly domed and not flat. Dramatic shadows from the rim of the crater stretch for dozens of km across the crater floor.

The central peaks of the two similar craters just south of Ptolemaeus are just tall enough to shine in the sun, surrounded by deep shadow. The larger of these two craters is called Alphonsus, and the shadow of its central peak is visible on the western crater wall, about 60 km away. The shadows on the Moon move quickly enough that changes can be seen in the telescope before very long. During the hour and a half that I was taking photographs this night, the shadow sizes and shapes changed quite a bit.

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Steve Irvine
R.R. # 2
Wiarton, Ontario
Canada N0H 2T0
(519) 534 2175