The Moon, the Moon!

 The full moon, particularly if it is "Super", receives a lot of hype because that is what brings in page views. For web sites that must maintain a constant stream of new material, an article about the full moon is a guaranteed once-a-month page filler that practically writes itself.  

A recent headline proclaimed "Brilliant Harvest Moon...wows stargazers around the world."  Well, not really, or at least not real stargazers.  A full moon is the worst time for stargazing because the sky is so bright it is hard to see all but the brightest stars.  It is also the worst time for moongazing, because the contrast is so low it is hard to pick out detailed features on the lunar surface.  The best time for observing the moon is during the waxing and waning partial phases when oblique shadows make craters and mountains stand out.  However, there is little profit in hyping photo opportunities with the less-than-full moon because the moon will be high in the sky during sunrise or sunset, making it harder to produce images with dramatic foregrounds.

Moon above the local ridgeline, 23 Sep 2023. Lens: Olympus 40-150mm f/4.

8.8-day old moon, 23 Sep 2023.  AT102ED refractor.

The above image was obtained about a day past the first-quarter phase.  Some of the prominent craters are labeled.  Clavius is the largest (about 140 miles diameter) easily visible crater on the near side of the moon.  This crater was the site of the fictional moon base in Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey".  Just to the north is Tycho crater, where the alien monolith was found (in the story, not in real life!)

Clavius has always been one of my favorite lunar features.  I can find many sketches of this crater in my old observing log.  The sketch below was made when I was a 12-yr-old novice telescope maker using my first-ever homebuilt scope, a 6-inch f/5 reflector. At the time I think the mirror was still uncoated (bare glass), which works with bright objects like the moon.  

 

Clavius, 1966.  6-inch reflector.

 

The recorded magnification was 112x, which indicates that the eyepiece was likely a Criterion A.R. 7mm, my first commercial purchase.  I still have that eyepiece and use it on occasion.

My first commercial eyepiece.

 A day later the terminator has advanced, bringing more features into view.

24 Sep 2023.  AT102ED refractor.

Five days later, one day after the "Super" Harvest moon, Tycho crater is very prominent with bright rays, but Clavius is almost invisible.  My favorite crater has faded away in the contrast-free overhead light.
 

29 Sep 2023.  AT80EDT refractor.