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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
31. Taruntius 4.5 days  
32. Arago Alpha & Beta 5.5 days Arago is the crater left and above center. The Arago domes are visible North of Arago (Alpha) and West of Arago (Beta). Lamont is the lava filled crater just South of Arago.
33. Serpentine Ridge 5.7 days  
33. Serpentine Ridge 6 days  
33. Serpentine Ridge 6.05 days  
34. Lacus Mortis 7 days  
34. Lacus Mortis 7.6 days  
34. Lacus Mortis 9.7 days  
34. Lacus Mortis 18 days  
35. Triesnecker Rilles 7.6 days  
35. Triesnecker Rilles 9.3 days  
35. Triesnecker Rilles 20.67 days  
36. Grimaldi Basin 13 days  
36. Grimaldi Basin 13.1 days  
36. Grimaldi Basin 22 days  
37. Baily 13 days Baily is the large shadowed crater on the Southern edge of the Moon. It is in the lower left hand corner of the image.
37. Baily 13.1 days  
37. Baily 25.7 days  
38. Sabine and Ritter 5.5 days

Ritter (West) and Sabine (East) are the pair of craters near the bottom of the image. Arago is the crater left and above center. The Arago domes are visible North of Arago (Alpha) and West of Arago (Beta). Lamont is the lava filled crater just South of Arago.

 
38. Sabine and Ritter 6.05 days Ritter (above) and Sabine (below) are the larger paired craters just below and left of center.  Lamont is the large lava filled crater just to the right of center.
38. Sabine and Ritter 7 days Ritter (West) and Sabine (East) are the pair of craters near the bottom of the image. The partially shadowed crater West of Ritter and Sabine is Dionysius.
38. Sabine and Ritter 7.6 days  
38. Sabine and Ritter 9 days  
39. Schickard 11.6 days  
39. Schickard 12 days Schickard is the largest crater in the image. Schiller lies near the right edge. Below Schickard is Nasmyth and Phocylides.
39. Schickard 13 days  
39. Schickard 23.6 days  
39. Schickard 25.7 days  
40. Janssen Rille 4.5 days  
40. Janssen Rille 5.7 days  
40. Janssen Rille 6.1 days  
40. Janssen Rille 8.0 days  
40. Janssen Rille 16 days