Lunar Phase: Waxing Crescent (9.7%)
Q-Day: -4
Moonrise: 8:10 AM
Sunrise: 5:46 AM Sunset: 8:37 PM
Location: Home
Date: 2021-05-15
Observation 1:
Time: 9:00 PM – 9:50 PM
Temperature: 8° C
SQM: 18.56
Equipment: 6” Dobsonian, 9.7 mm + 15 mm eyepieces
Magnification: x124 + x80
Transparency: not recorded
Seeing: not recorded
Quite excited when my Moon app showed that Newcomb - the last object to be viewed - could potentially be seen. Quickly set up the Dob and inserted the 9.7 mm eyepiece. The image as not only backwards but also upside-down. How confusing!
Once I had it figured out, I recognized Cleomedes, Burckhardt and Geminus as the 3 large craters “below” (in reality it was above) Crisium. Macrobius was located on the west side of Crisium. I then identified Lacus Bonitatis; there appeared to be a bay or plateau “below” it and Newcomb was beside this not too far from the terminator. Consequently, did not get a good view of the crater. Perhaps I need to wait a while and try again?
Observation 2:
Time: 11:05 PM – 12:00 AM
Equipment: 10” Meade SCT, 9.7 mm + 15 mm + 4.7 eyepieces
Magnification: x258 + x167 + x532
Transparency: not recorded
Seeing: not recorded
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Moon was getting quite low and there was light cloud cover occasionally. I tried all three eyepieces; the 4.7 mm was too zoomed in and difficult to focus at x532 magnification. However, even though it was almost 2 hours later, I was unable to get the detail of the crater itself. Therefore, no sketch. Looking at Rukl 25 and comparing it to the view I had in the telescope and later in the very fuzzy photo I took with my iPhone, I could identify A, B, C, J and G beside it but could not describe any details. Montes Taurus was seen briefly as they were on the terminus. Lesson learned – take out the big scope first!
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Maria, etc.: Lacus Bonitatis
Craters: Cleomedes, Newcomb, Macrobius
Craters not on ETM List: Burckhardt, Geminus