The Moon's Many Faces
The Moon is one of the most fascinating objects in the night sky. Not only is it a bright, large target for unaided observers and binocular/telescope-users alike, it’s constantly changing, offering a fresh face every time you look at it!
While the rocky surface of the Moon actually does change with time as the surface is continuously bombarded with meteorites and debris impacts (see previous post about NASA’s Lunar Impact Monitoring Program), more obvious to us is the light and shadow play caused by its slow orbit around the Earth.
In broad terms we see this as the change from a thin crescent growing to a Full Moon and then back again, but there are changes visible daily, and in fact hour-to-hour on more prominent features as the angle of sunlight slowly rises over the lunar surface. Shallow angles cast long shadow, revealing subtle elevation changes and offering sharper relief of shadows on lunar mountain ranges and crater ridges. Perhaps counterintuitively, at Full Moon most of these details disappear as the light is shining from directly overhead as viewed from the lunar surface, causing shadows to disappear and creating a flattened appearing of even the most striking lunar features.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has put together a wonderful tool to help visual observers explore the Moon, called Moon Trek. There’s numerous map overlays available, including a 3D flyover option to get familiar with the lunar surface. Use it to get started observing the Moon tonight!
Plan to join us Wed. 9/30 for our program about “Apollo 13” as we look into the engineering and humanity behind this famous story. Email Register@StandleyLakeStargazing.com to sign up!
Check back each weekday @ 5:00 pm for more observing guides and science news!
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Stay well, and clear skies!
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