Archive
10/11/2016 – Ephemeris – Looking at the Moon tonight
Ephemeris for Tuesday, October 11th. The Sun will rise at 7:53. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 7:04. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:26 tomorrow morning.
We looked at the Moon in the last program, now 24 hours later the sunrise terminator has moved farther west, our east uncovering more landscape. The Moon rotates once in about 29 ½ days in relation with the Sun. This is the same time it orbits the Earth from new Moon to the next. We call that a lunation or lunar month. Near the upper left corner of the Moon is what looks like a half crater. It’s called Sinus Iridium, the Bay of Rainbows. It’s at the edge of Mare Imbrium or Sea of Showers. To the south cut by the terminator is Oceanus Procellarum, the flat Ocean of Storms. South of that is the small Mare Humorum, the Sea of Vapors. Between then is a distinctive crater Gassendi. South of all that is the odd shaped crater Schiller.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon at 9 p.m. October 11, 2016. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
Sinus Iridium photographed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter as texture mapped on the globe of the Virtual Moon Atlas.
The crater Gassendi from Apollo 16 – NASA
The craters Schickard and Schiller as seen from above from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The Sun will start to rise on Schickard tomorrow night. Credit NASA from Virtual Moon Atlas.
06/16/2016 – Ephemeris – The Moon tonight
Ephemeris for Thursday, June 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:30, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, half way from first quarter to full, will set at 4:23 tomorrow morning.
The Moon is bright as it moves toward full. In binoculars, the brightest spot on the Moon is visible on the left edge of the Moon at 10 p.m. In telescopes it becomes a crater named Aristarchus. The sea below Aristarchus where the terminator, the sunrise line cuts across is Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms. Below that is the small circular sea called Mare Humorum, the Sea of Moisture. Below that we’re back in the lunar highlands with lots of large craters, rather to many
The Gibbous Moon at 10 p.m., June 16, 2016 showing some interesting features near the terminator.
to mention here. The transcripts of these programs with illustrations are available at bobmoler.wordpress.com. That’s Moler spelled simply M-O-L-E-R. The Moon illustration will point out the features I’ve discussed.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 