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Glossary Glossary
Glossary Glossary Albedo A measure of an object’s reflectivity. A pure white reflecting surface has an albedo of 1.0 (100%). A pitch-black, nonreflecting surface has an albedo of 0.0. The Moon is a fairly dark object with a combined albedo of 0.07 (reflecting 7% of the sunlight that falls upon it). The albedo range of the lunar maria is between 0.05 and 0.08. The brighter highlands have an albedo range from 0.09 to 0.15. Anorthosite Rocks rich in the mineral feldspar, making up much of the Moon’s bright highland regions. Aperture The diameter of a telescope’s objective lens or primary mirror. Apogee The point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth. At apogee, the Moon can reach a maximum distance of 406,700 km from the Earth. Apollo The manned lunar program of the United States. Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon, allowing a total of 12 astronauts to explore its surface. Asteroid A minor planet. A large solid body of rock in orbit around the Sun. Banded crater A crater that displays dusky linear tracts on its inner walls and/or floor. 250 Basalt A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock, low in silicon, with a low viscosity. Basaltic material fills many of the Moon’s major basins, especially on the near side. Glossary Basin A very large circular impact structure (usually comprising multiple concentric rings) that usually displays some degree of flooding with lava. The largest and most conspicuous lava- flooded basins on the Moon are found on the near side, and most are filled to their outer edges with mare basalts. -
January 2019 Cardanus & Krafft
A PUBLICATION OF THE LUNAR SECTION OF THE A.L.P.O. EDITED BY: Wayne Bailey [email protected] 17 Autumn Lane, Sewell, NJ 08080 RECENT BACK ISSUES: http://moon.scopesandscapes.com/tlo_back.html FEATURE OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2019 CARDANUS & KRAFFT Sketch and text by Robert H. Hays, Jr. - Worth, Illinois, USA September 24, 2018 04:40-05:04 UT, 15 cm refl, 170x, seeing 7/10, transparence 6/6. I drew these craters and vicinity on the night of Sept. 23/24, 2018. The moon was about 22 hours before full. This area is in far western Oceanus Procellarum, and was favorably placed for observation that night. Cardanus is the southern one of this pair and is of moderate depth. Krafft to the north is practically identical in size, and is perhaps slightly deeper. Neither crater has a central peak. Several small craters are near and within Krafft. The crater just outside the southeast rim of Krafft is Krafft E, and Krafft C is nearby within Krafft. The small pit to the west is Krafft K, and Krafft D is between Krafft and Cardanus. Krafft C, D and E are similar sized, but K is smaller than these. A triangular-shaped swelling protrudes from the north side of Krafft. The tiny pit, even smaller than Krafft K, east of Cardanus is Cardanus E. There is a dusky area along the southwest side of Cardanus. Two short dark strips in this area may be part of the broken ring Cardanus R as shown on the. Lunar Quadrant map. -
TRANSIENT LUNAR PHENOMENA: REGULARITY and REALITY Arlin P
The Astrophysical Journal, 697:1–15, 2009 May 20 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/697/1/1 C 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. TRANSIENT LUNAR PHENOMENA: REGULARITY AND REALITY Arlin P. S. Crotts Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, 550 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA Received 2007 June 27; accepted 2009 February 20; published 2009 April 30 ABSTRACT Transient lunar phenomena (TLPs) have been reported for centuries, but their nature is largely unsettled, and even their existence as a coherent phenomenon is controversial. Nonetheless, TLP data show regularities in the observations; a key question is whether this structure is imposed by processes tied to the lunar surface, or by terrestrial atmospheric or human observer effects. I interrogate an extensive catalog of TLPs to gauge how human factors determine the distribution of TLP reports. The sample is grouped according to variables which should produce differing results if determining factors involve humans, and not reflecting phenomena tied to the lunar surface. Features dependent on human factors can then be excluded. Regardless of how the sample is split, the results are similar: ∼50% of reports originate from near Aristarchus, ∼16% from Plato, ∼6% from recent, major impacts (Copernicus, Kepler, Tycho, and Aristarchus), plus several at Grimaldi. Mare Crisium produces a robust signal in some cases (however, Crisium is too large for a “feature” as defined). TLP count consistency for these features indicates that ∼80% of these may be real. Some commonly reported sites disappear from the robust averages, including Alphonsus, Ross D, and Gassendi. -
Happy New Year! MEMBERSHIP? IT’S NEVER TOO LATE to JOIN!
Vol. 42, No. 1 January 2011 Great Work at Sleaford Renovations to the Sleaford Observatory warm-up shelter progressed rapidly last fall with Rick Huziak and Darrell Chatfield spending many days and evenings there. A wall was removed to the cold storage area to make more room, which meant extensive rewiring, insulating and refinishing. Other volunteers came to cut grass, paint, clean, do repairs, and provide food. Thank you to every one who helped to make Sleaford a more usable and pleasant site. Photo by Jeff Swick In This Issue: Membership Information / Bottle Drive / Officers of the Centre 2 U of S Observatory Hours / Light Pollution Abatement Website 2 Calendar of Events / Meeting Announcement 3 Solstice Eclipse – Tenho Tuomi, Norma Jensen plus others 4 ‘Tis the Night Before… 5 President’s Message – Jeff Swick 5 GOTO Telescopes are not for Beginners – Tenho Tuomi 6 Ask AstroNut 7 Saskatoon Centre Observers Group Notes – Larry Scott, Jeff Swick 8 The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada The Planets This Month – Murray Paulson 9 P.O. Box 317, RPO University The Messier, H-400 & H-400-II, FNGC, Bino, Lunar & EtU Club 10 Saskatoon, SK S7N 4J8 Editor’s Corner – Tenho Tuomi 10 WEBSITE: http://www.rasc.ca/saskatoon To view Saskatoon Skies in colour, see our Website: E •MAIL: [email protected] http://homepage.usask.ca/~ges125/rasc/newsletters.html TELEPHONE: (306) 373-3902 Happy New Year! MEMBERSHIP? IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO JOIN! Regular: $80.00 /year Youth: $41.00 /year Associate: $33 /year The Saskatoon Centre operates on a one-year revolving membership. -
10Great Features for Moon Watchers
Sinus Aestuum is a lava pond hemming the Imbrium debris. Mare Orientale is another of the Moon’s large impact basins, Beginning observing On its eastern edge, dark volcanic material erupted explosively and possibly the youngest. Lunar scientists think it formed 170 along a rille. Although this region at first appears featureless, million years after Mare Imbrium. And although “Mare Orien- observe it at several different lunar phases and you’ll see the tale” translates to “Eastern Sea,” in 1961, the International dark area grow more apparent as the Sun climbs higher. Astronomical Union changed the way astronomers denote great features for Occupying a region below and a bit left of the Moon’s dead lunar directions. The result is that Mare Orientale now sits on center, Mare Nubium lies far from many lunar showpiece sites. the Moon’s western limb. From Earth we never see most of it. Look for it as the dark region above magnificent Tycho Crater. When you observe the Cauchy Domes, you’ll be looking at Yet this small region, where lava plains meet highlands, con- shield volcanoes that erupted from lunar vents. The lava cooled Moon watchers tains a variety of interesting geologic features — impact craters, slowly, so it had a chance to spread and form gentle slopes. 10Our natural satellite offers plenty of targets you can spot through any size telescope. lava-flooded plains, tectonic faulting, and debris from distant In a geologic sense, our Moon is now quiet. The only events by Michael E. Bakich impacts — that are great for telescopic exploring. -
October 2006
OCTOBER 2 0 0 6 �������������� http://www.universetoday.com �������������� TAMMY PLOTNER WITH JEFF BARBOUR 283 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 In 1897, the world’s largest refractor (40”) debuted at the University of Chica- go’s Yerkes Observatory. Also today in 1958, NASA was established by an act of Congress. More? In 1962, the 300-foot radio telescope of the National Ra- dio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) went live at Green Bank, West Virginia. It held place as the world’s second largest radio scope until it collapsed in 1988. Tonight let’s visit with an old lunar favorite. Easily seen in binoculars, the hexagonal walled plain of Albategnius ap- pears near the terminator about one-third the way north of the south limb. Look north of Albategnius for even larger and more ancient Hipparchus giving an almost “figure 8” view in binoculars. Between Hipparchus and Albategnius to the east are mid-sized craters Halley and Hind. Note the curious ALBATEGNIUS AND HIPPARCHUS ON THE relationship between impact crater Klein on Albategnius’ southwestern wall and TERMINATOR CREDIT: ROGER WARNER that of crater Horrocks on the northeastern wall of Hipparchus. Now let’s power up and “crater hop”... Just northwest of Hipparchus’ wall are the beginnings of the Sinus Medii area. Look for the deep imprint of Seeliger - named for a Dutch astronomer. Due north of Hipparchus is Rhaeticus, and here’s where things really get interesting. If the terminator has progressed far enough, you might spot tiny Blagg and Bruce to its west, the rough location of the Surveyor 4 and Surveyor 6 landing area. -
Culpeper Astronomy Club Meeting February 26, 2018 Overview
The Moon: Our Neighbor Culpeper Astronomy Club Meeting February 26, 2018 Overview • Introductions • Radio Astronomy: The Basics • The Moon • Constellations: Monoceros, Canis Major, Puppis • Observing Session (Tentative) Radio Astronomy • Stars, galaxies and gas clouds emit visible light as well as emissions from other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum • Includes radio waves, gamma rays, X- rays, and infrared radiation • Radio astronomy is the study of the universe through analysis of celestial objects' radio emission • the longest-wavelength, least energetic form of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum • The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1932 • Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories observed radiation coming from the Milky Way Radio Astronomy • A radio telescope has three basic components: • One or more antennas pointed to the sky, to collect the radio waves • A receiver and amplifier to boost the very weak radio signal to a measurable level, and • A recorder to keep a record of the signal Radio Astronomy • Subsequent observations have identified a number of different sources of radio emission • Include stars and galaxies, as well as entirely new classes of objects, such as: • Radio galaxies: nuclei emit jets of high- velocity gas (near the speed of light) above and below the galaxy -- the jets interact with magnetic fields and emit radio signals • Quasars: distant objects powered by black holes a billion times as massive as our sun • Pulsars: the rapidly spinning remnants of supernova explosions -
Diameter and Depth of Lunar Craters - Course: HET 602, June 2002 Supervisor: Barry Adcock - Student: Eduardo Manuel Alvarez
Project: Diameter and Depth of Lunar Craters - Course: HET 602, June 2002 Supervisor: Barry Adcock - Student: Eduardo Manuel Alvarez Diameter and Depth of Lunar Craters Abstract The aim of this project is to find out the size and height of some features on the surface of the Moon from obtained observational field measures and the afterwards proper calculation in order to transform them into the corresponding physical final values. First of all it will be briefly described two different proceedings for the acquisition of the observational field measures and the theoretical development of the formulae that allow the conversion into the final required results. It will also be discussed the implicit theoretical errors that each method presents. Secondly, it will be described the actual applied measuring proceedings and the complete exposition of the field collected data, plus photos and sketches. Then it will be presented all the lunar related parameters corresponding to the same moments as when the measures were obtained, basically taken from the internet. After that, through the application of the proper formulae to each observational measure and the corresponding related parameters, it will be found out the required lunar features sizes and heights. Later the obtained final values will be compared to the actual values, analyzing the possible reasons of the differences, and suggesting improvements and special cares in the experimental application of the performed proceedings. Finally, an overall conclusion and the complete list of all the involved references will end this project report. 1) Theoretical considerations a) Measuring lunar surface sizes In order to measure the size of lunar features by telescopic observation from the Earth, it is necessary to firstly obtain some direct value related with its size and secondly apply the corresponding calculation that converts it into the desired actual length. -
Water on the Moon, III. Volatiles & Activity
Water on The Moon, III. Volatiles & Activity Arlin Crotts (Columbia University) For centuries some scientists have argued that there is activity on the Moon (or water, as recounted in Parts I & II), while others have thought the Moon is simply a dead, inactive world. [1] The question comes in several forms: is there a detectable atmosphere? Does the surface of the Moon change? What causes interior seismic activity? From a more modern viewpoint, we now know that as much carbon monoxide as water was excavated during the LCROSS impact, as detailed in Part I, and a comparable amount of other volatiles were found. At one time the Moon outgassed prodigious amounts of water and hydrogen in volcanic fire fountains, but released similar amounts of volatile sulfur (or SO2), and presumably large amounts of carbon dioxide or monoxide, if theory is to be believed. So water on the Moon is associated with other gases. Astronomers have agreed for centuries that there is no firm evidence for “weather” on the Moon visible from Earth, and little evidence of thick atmosphere. [2] How would one detect the Moon’s atmosphere from Earth? An obvious means is atmospheric refraction. As you watch the Sun set, its image is displaced by Earth’s atmospheric refraction at the horizon from the position it would have if there were no atmosphere, by roughly 0.6 degree (a bit more than the Sun’s angular diameter). On the Moon, any atmosphere would cause an analogous effect for a star passing behind the Moon during an occultation (multiplied by two since the light travels both into and out of the lunar atmosphere). -
Moon Viewing Guide
MMoooonn MMaapp What lunar features can you find? Use this Moon Map & Viewing Guide to explore different areas of the Moon - no binoculars needed! MMoooonn VViieewwiinngg GGuuiiddee A quick look at the Moon in the night sky – even without binoculars - shows light areas and dark areas that reveal lunar history. Can you find these features? Use the Moon Map (above) to help. Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tanquilitatus) – Formed when a giant t! nd I asteroid hit the Moon almost 4 billion years ago, this 500-mile wide Fou dark, smooth, circular basin is the site of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969. Sea of Rains (Mare Imbrium) – Imbrium Basin is the largest t! nd I basin on the Moon that was formed by a giant asteroid almost 4 Fou billion years ago. Sea of Serenity (Mare Serenitatis) – Apollo 17 astronauts t! sampled some of the oldest rocks on the Moon from edges of nd I Fou the Sea of Serenity. These ancient rocks formed in the Moon’s magma ocean. Lunar Highlands – The lighter areas on the Moon are the lunar t! highlands. These are the oldest regions on the Moon; they formed nd I Fou from the magma ocean. Because they are so old, they have been hit by impact craters many times, making the highlands very rough. Want an extra challenge? If you have a telescope or pair of binoculars, try finding these features: Appenine Mountains (Montes Apenninus) – Did you know there are mountain ranges on the Moon? The rims of the craters and t! nd I basins rise high above the Moon’s surface. -
Master's Thesis
2009:106 MASTER'S THESIS Design a Nano-Satellite for Observation of Transient Lunar Phenomena(TLP) Bao Han Luleå University of Technology Master Thesis, Continuation Courses Space Science and Technology Department of Space Science, Kiruna 2009:106 - ISSN: 1653-0187 - ISRN: LTU-PB-EX--09/106--SE Design a Nano-Satellite for Observation of Transient Lunar Phenomena (TLP) SpaceMaster Thesis I Students: Bao Han Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hakan Kayal Date of Submission: 24 Sep 2009 II DECLARATION I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by other person or material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of other degree or diploma of university or other institute of high learning, except due acknowledgment has been made in the text. Würzburg, the 20th, September, 2009 _______________________ (Bao Han) III ACKNOWLEGMENT I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete this thesis. First I am deeply indebted to my supervisor Prof. Dr. Hakan Kayal for providing me the possibility to do a very interesting and changeling master thesis by contributing to the Nano-Satellite project and his stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in all the time of research for and writing of this thesis. This thesis work allowed me to have a good insight in the Nano-satellite project while gaining many satellite system design experience in many fields. I have furthermore to thank the Prof. Klaus Schilling, the chair of the computer science VII department, who encouraged me to go ahead with my thesis. -
Det.,Class.,Lunar Rilles 1
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PERUGIA DIPARTIMENTO DI FISICA E GEOLOGIA Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Scienze e Tecnologie Geologiche TESI DI LAUREA DETECTION, CLASSIFICATION, AND ANALYSIS OF SINUOUS RILLES ON THE NEAR-SIDE OF THE MOON Laureando: Relatore: SOFIA FIORUCCI LAURA MELELLI Correlatore: MARIA TERESA BRUNETTI Anno Accademico 2019/2020 “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” ― Thomas A. Edison Table of Contents 1 Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................. 1 1.1 The Moon Mapping Project ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Chang’E missions ...................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Moon Mapping Topics ............................................................................................. 9 1.3.1 Topic 1 –Map of the solar wind .............................................................................................. 10 1.3.2 Topic 2 – Geomorphologic map of the Moon ....................................................................... 11 1.3.3 Topic 3 – Data processing of Chang’E-1 mission ................................................................. 13 1.3.4 Topic 4 –Map of element distribution ................................................................................... 14 1.3.5 Topic 5 – 3D Visualization system ......................................................................................... 14