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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 (rounded down) Thumbnail Image Comments
81. Hesiodus A 10 days Pitatus is the crater in the center of the image. On its Western edge is Hesiodus. On Hesiodus' Southern edge is Hesiodus A. Hesiodus A has a double concentric wall that is barely visible in this image which has insufficient resolution to show the walls well.
81. Hesiodus A 10.8 days  
81. Hesiodus A 12.3 days Pitatus is the crater in the center of the image. On its Western edge is Hesiodus. On Hesiodus' Southern edge is Hesiodus A. Hesiodus A has a double concentric wall.
82. Linne 9 days Linne is a tiny crater once reported to have disappeared. Linne is the small white patch in the upper right hand corner.
82. Linne 9.3 days  
82. Linne 9.6 days  
83. Plato craterlets 9.7 days Plato contains dozens of inner craterlets. Only the very largest couple of craterlets are barely shown on these images of Plato. Rukl's atlas shows approximately 6 inner craterlets.
83. Plato 10 days  
83. Plato craterlets 11.7 days  
83. Plato craterlets 12.3 days  
83. Plato craterlets 12.33 days  
83. Plato craterlets 18 days  
84. Pitatus 9.3 days  
84. Pitatus 10 days  
85. Langrenus rays 4.5 days  
85. Langrenus 5.7 days  
85. Langrenus rays 7 days  
85. Langrenus 14.9 days  
85. Langrenus rays 16 days  
86. Prinz Rilles 11.7 days Aristarchus is the bright crater near the left edge. Prinz is the upside down semicircular formation Northeast of Aristarchus.
86. Prinz Rilles 12 days  
86. Prinz Rilles 13 days  
86. Prinz Rilles 21.7 days  
87. Humboldt 5.6 days  
87. Humboldt 7.6 days  
87. Humboldt Full Moon (14.7 days)  
87. Humboldt 14.9 days  
88. Peary 13 days


 

 

 

The craters are labeled: Peary (P), Byrd (B), Goldschmidt (G), Anaxagoras (A), de Sitter (dS), Euctemon (E), Nansen (N).

88. Peary 18 days Peary and Byrd are at the very top of the image.
89. Valentine Dome 20.2 days  
90. Armstrong, Aldrin, & Collins 6.05 days

 

Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are small craters near the Apollo 11 landing site.

The craters are labeled in this image.

90. Armstrong 7 days Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are small craters near the Apollo 11 landing site. Only Armstrong is resolved in this image. The paired craters near the bottom are Ritter and Sabine. East of them near the bottom center is Moltke. North of Moltke is the tiny crater Armstrong. Most of Mare Tranquillitatis is also evident in this image.
90. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins 7.6 days

 

 

 

The craters are labeled in this image.

90. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins 8.1 days

 

 

 

The craters are labeled in this image.