Night Views
History
Moon
Lunar 100
Our Operations
Comets & Asteriods
Arp Galaxies
Messier Objects
Moon & Planets
NGC Objects
Objects With Common Names
3towers Observatory Lunar 100/Lunar Features

The Lunar 100 was created by Charles A. Wood who states: "The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to provide Moon lovers with something akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy with the Messier catalog: a selection of telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. [It is]... a selection of the Moon&##39;s 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains, rilles, and domes."

Woods challenges "...observers to find and observe them all and, more important, to consider what each feature tells us about lunar and Earth history."

To find out more about the Lunar 100 see the Sky & Telescope web site at: http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/article_1199_1.asp.

The Lunar 100 features are arranged from the easiest to view to the most difficult. The Moon itself is L1. L2 is Earthshine, and L3 represents the dichotomy between the Lunar highlands and the Lunar Maria. While the Lunar 100 are concentrated all on the nearside of the Moon, they can not be seen in a single night or a single month. Some of them require special lighting conditions or phases of the Moon, and others, in addition, require very favorable librations of the Moon to bring them into view. The Lunar 100 is an observing list. However, the equipment at the 3towers Observatory was used to image the Lunar 100, mainly using the web cam techniques detailed.


Lunar Feature Lunar Age in days Thumbnail Image Comments
11. Aristarchus 11.7 days  
11. Aristarchus 12 days  
11. Aristarchus 12.33 days  
11. Aristarchus 13 days  
11. Aristarchus 20.67 days  
11. Aristarchus 21.7 days  
12. Proclus 10 days  
12. Proclus 14.7 days (Full Moon)  
13. Gassendi 10.7 days  
13. Gassendi 11.6 days  
13. Gassendi 12.3 days  
13. Gassendi 23.7 days  
14. Sinus Iridum 11.7 days  
14. Sinus Iridum 12.3 days  
14. Sinus Iridum 21.7 days  
14. Sinus Iridum 26.6 days  
15. Straight Wall 8.1 days  
15. Straight Wall 8.61 days  
15. Straight Wall 9 days  
15. Straight Wall 9.3 days  
15. Straight Wall 10 days  
15. Straight Wall 11.6 days  
15. Straight Wall 20.2 days  
15. Straight Wall 20.42 days  
15. Straight Wall 21.7 days  
15. Straight Wall 22.0 days  
15. Straight Wall 22 days  
16. Petavius 4.5 days  
16. Petavius 16 days  
17. Schroter's Valley 11.7 days  
17. Schroter's Valley 12 days  
17. Schroter's Valley 13.1 days  
17. Schroter's Valley 25.7 days  
18. Mare Serenitatis dark edge 5.7 days  
18. Mare Serenitatis dark edge 6.05 days  
18. Mare Serenitatis dark edge 7 days  
18. Mare Serenitatis dark edge 9.3 days  
19. Alpine Valley 8.64 days  
19. Alpine Valley 9.3 days  
19. Alpine Valley 9.5 days  
19. Alpine Valley 9.7 days  
19. Alpine Valley 12.3 days  
19. Alpine Valley 20.2 days  
20. Posidonius 5 day  
20. Posidonius 5.7 days  
20. Montage showing Posidonius and portions of Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis 6 days  
20. Posidonius 6.05 days  
20. Posidonius 6.1 days  
20. Posidonius 8.1 days  
20. Posidonius 8.62 days  
20. Posidonius 9.3 days  
20. Posidonius 9.7 days  
20. Posidonius 11.6 days  
20. Posidonius 12.3 days  
20. Posidonius 16 days