image by J-P Metsavainio
In 2004, J-P Metsavainio of Finland developed the technique of rectifying images of the lunar limb using Photoshop software. Now he is back using real 3-D software, SolidWorks, which is more accurate and provides realtime (up to 30 fps) rotations with very large bitmaps. J-P took screen shots from SolidWorks and then combined them in PhotoShop CS to produce the complete limb image strips shown here. The circular image at bottom right is his original (and excellent) full Moon image that was rectified as the series of strips. I have added the names of a few of the major features to provide orientation. Noteworthy are the craggy Leibnitz Mountains which are actually part of the rim of the farside South Pole-Aitken mega-impact basin. The East limb is darkened by three mare deposits - Marginis, Smythii and Australe. Each has its own character, with the curved basin rim of Smythii strongly depicted, expecially compared to the lack of circularity - and uncertain basin status - for Marginis. And Australe is seen to be a distributed mare with deposits of mare basalts on the floors of numerous large craters.
This LPOD was originally published June 13, 2005.
Technical Details:
Original full Moon image 27.11.200. Meade LX200 GPS 12″ + Canon EOS300D; prosessed with PhotoShop CS + SolidWorks 2005. Note that the directional indicators (N, SW, etc) are misaligned; true N is about where the NE label is.
Related Links:
Astrophotography – A New Way of Looking at the Moon, J.-P. Metsavainio, Sky & Telescope, January 2005, p. 142-146.
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