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Ephemeris: 07/09/2024 – The Moon Tonight – Mare Crisium

July 9, 2024

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, July 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:07. The Moon, halfway from new to first quarter, will set at 11:53 this evening.

Tonight’s four-day old crescent Moon will be seen in the west at about 10:30 PM, though it’s visible much earlier than that. Binoculars will show a small gray round area near the right edge of the Moon which is seen in the full moon as the eye of the Man in the Moon. The feature is called Mare Crisium or the Sea of Crises. And is an Oval 385 by 354 miles in extent. However, it is elongated east to west rather than what it appears to be, north to south. That is due to foreshortening because it is near the limb of the Moon and thus curved away from us. So we are looking at it at an oblique angle. Mare Crisium is thought to be the result of an impact of an asteroid that occurred nearly 4 billion years ago during the Late Heavy Bombardment.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The four day old Moon
The four day old Moon as it might be seen in binoculars or small telescope tonight, July 9th 2024. I’m highlighting Mare Crisium that lies near the limb of the Moon from Earth’s vantage point. Compare it with the images below taken from the Apollo 11 spacecraft and another one looking at the Moon from Earth’s side at the same phase as the Apollo 11 photograph. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Mare Crisium from the side of the Moon taken by the Apollo 11 crew
Mare Crisium from the side of the Moon taken by the Apollo 11 crew as they departed the Moon, showing its true shape. Credit: NASA/Apollo 11 Crew.
The nearly first quarter Moon as seen from the Earth
The nearly first quarter Moon as seen from the Earth at the same scale and phase as the Apollo picture above. See if you can match the maria or seas to the Apollo 11 picture . Created using stellarium.
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