image by Bob Pilz
I have thought of doing an LPOD series on craters named for Moon mappers, and now I have to for Bob has sent an excellent image of the crater that honors perhaps the best observer’s book ever. In this area of generally weathered and undistinguished craters it is easy to not recognize Goodacre, but he (I’m thinking of the author) is the relatively sharp-rimmed crater at center right, sitting on the rim of Gemma Frisius. Goodacre, the crater, is 46 km wide with a smooth floor and a small bright peak. Walter Goodacre, the man, was the director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association in the early 20th century and self-published his wonderful red book, The Moon, in 1931. I like The Moon because its 25 section maps are cleanly drawn and devoid of clutter. His text is straight forward, but like most descriptive books a little monotanous. Goodacre was the first of the classic Moon books to enliven the presentation by including drawings and photographs of the lunar surface. I especially like his sketch maps of maria such as Imbrium and Humorum. I was lucky enough to buy an autographed copy of The Moon in England in 1969 (for 1 pound, 10 shillings). Recently, my wife had it rebound so it is as tight and valuable as when Walter proudly received the first ones from his printer 76 years ago.
Technical Details:
July 7, 2007, 09:18UT. 200mm f/6 Newtonian reflector, Televue 3x Barlow , DMK 21BF04 B/W camera, ‘Blue’ IR-block filter, .20 arcsec/pixel, 30 fps, 1/39 sec, 600/9000 frames stacked; processed in Registax V4, PS CS, Focus Magic. Taken from Lat: 35 degrees 36 minutes N, Long: 82 degrees 33 minutes W, Elev:~850m.
Related Links:
Rükl chart 66
Yesterday's LPOD: Transient Belief
Tomorrow's LPOD: An Ordinary Mare Transformed
