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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'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
21. Fracastorius 5.4 days  
21. Fracastorius 5.7 days  
22. Aristarchus Plateau 12 days  
22. Aristarchus Plateau 12.3 days  
22. Aristarchus Plateau 12.33 days  
22. Aristarchus Plateau 13 days  
22. Aristarchus Plateau 16 days  
23. Pico 12.33 days  
23. Pico 18 days  
23. Pico 20.2 days  
23. Pico 21.7 days  
23. Pico 22 days  
24. Hyginus Rille 7.6 days  
24. Hyginus Rille 8 days  
24. Hyginus Rille 20.3 days  
25. Messier A & B 4.5 days  
25. Messier A & Messier B 5 days  
25. Messier A & Messier B 6 days Note the crater Langrenus and its rays (L85)lying on the Southeast corner of Mare Tranquilitatis.
25. Messier A & Messier B 7.6 days  
25. Messier A & Messier B 8 days Note the crater Langrenus and its rays (L85)lying on the Southeast corner of Mare Tranquilitatis.
25. Messier A & Messier B 16 days  
26. Mare Frigoris 10 days  
26. Mare Frigoris 11.7 days  
26. Mare Frigoris 22 days  
27. Archimedes 9 days From left to right are the craters Timocharis, Archimedes, Autolycus, and Aristillus.
27. Archimedes 10 days  
27. Archimedes 18 days The major craters are left to right: Archimedes, Autolycus, and Aristillus.
27. Archimedes 21.7 days  
28. Hipparchus 7.6 days  
28. Hipparchus 8 days The largest craters from top to bottom, right to left are Hipparchus, Albategnius, Ptolemaeus, and Alphonsus.
29. Aridaeus Rille 6.7 days  
29. Aridaeus Rille & Altai Scarp 7 days This montage extends from the lava filled crater Julius Caesar (top left) and nearby Ariadaeus Rille down to the Altai Scarp (bottom center). A portion of Mare Tranquillitatis and Mare Nectaris are also seen.
29. Aridaeus Rille 7.6 days The large flat crater filled with lava is Julius Caesar. Below it runs the Ariadaeus Rille and below that is the Cayley Plains. The Hyginus Rille runs to the West of the Ariadaeus Rille. Mare Vaporum lies along the left hand side and Mare Tranquillitatis along the right hand side.
30. Schiller-Zucchius Basin 11.6 days The Zucchius Basin lies in the very center of the image.  Schiller is the large elongated crater North of the basin.   Zucchius is the crater in the lower right hand corner.
30. Schiller 12 days  
30. Schiller 12 days Schickard is the largest crater in the image. Schiller lies near the right edge. Below Schickard is Nasmyth and Phocylides.
30. Schiller 12.3 days