May 8, 2024
Do You Have a Favorite Feature?
Originally published January 18, 2014
image by Rik Hill, Tucson, Arizona
Rik's recent image of the Humorum region prompted him to mention that it includes Vitello, one of his favorite craters. That made me wonder how many of us have favorite features? Despite the fact that my email name is tychocrater, Tycho isn't my favorite crater. I'm not sure I have one, but I do enjoy looking at Posidonius, Alphonsus and the Triesnecker/Hyginus rilles. I think these are favorites because they offer a lot to see, much of it challenging to observe or image. Copernicus and Plato are spectacular but they aren't challenging - there aren't delicate rilles or low domes that require perfect seeing conditions. But the most pleasing features are unexpected topography that is pronounced because of the lighting and librations at the moment of observation. One such feature is a surprisingly massive mountain on the edge of some crater in the southern highlands that I have as yet failed to identify. I have observed it twice but didn't mark its location - I think it is in the Mutus-Simpelius area, but can't be sure. So what lunar features, and why, are your favorites?
Chuck Wood
Technical Details
Jan 13, 2014, 06:47 UT. TEC 8" f/20 Mak-Cass + SKYRIS 445M + 656.3 nm filter. The raw images were stacked with AutoStakkert, then processed with GIMP and finally assembled with AutoStitch.
Related Links
21st Century Atlas chart 23.
Yesterday's LPOD: Lining Up
Tomorrow's LPOD: Rim Ramblings
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