[Friends_of_SSASTROS] Notes From The Field - Playing Peek-A-Boo With Luna

[Mike McCabe]

Members and Friends of the SSAS,

It’s that time of year when we try to occupy the sidewalkdown by the Scituate Lighthouse on clear Friday evenings for the benefit of sharingthe cosmos with passersby, and if I’m honest for our own benefit as wellbecause it is a wonderfully relaxing location. Unfortunately the weather as oflate hasn’t been conducive to making the venture over there, but if you’ve keptyour eyes on the sky you may have noted that there are times when some targetshave shone through the cloudy, hazy mess above us.

One of those targets is of course the Moon, and if you havea grab-n-go telescope handy then you know that it doesn’t take much to deployit and have a quick look at our nearest celestial neighbor. The Moon pokedthrough for a while last night before the thickest clouds moved in, so I poppeda scope on the patio and had a look.

I’ve mentioned before that it seems like every time I lookat the Moon through a scope, I see at least one feature illuminated in an extremelyattractive way and it happened again last night. Anyone who has spent afair amount of time exploring good ol’ Luna is likely familiar with a the veryprominent trio of craters known as Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina. On thisnight it was Theophilus that was showing off, with its brightly highlighted rimand central peaks contrasting with a darkened interior, while Cyrillus and Catharina were half in the shadow of theterminator.

Each of these craters measures right around 60 miles across,with Theophilus sporting a depth of thirteen thousand feet,  Cyrillus coming in at eleven thousand feetdeep, and Catharina at just under ten thousand feet. Two of the craters,Catharina and Cyrillus, were formed during the Nectarian Period (3.85-3.92billion years ago), while Theophilus formed sometime during the EratosthenianPeriod, which ranges from 1.1-3.2 billion years ago. Seen together they make anunforgettable sight in the eyepiece.
The next time you’re out exploring the Moon during theseearly waxing phases, be sure to be on the lookout for this spectacular trio ofimpact craters. They never disappoint!


Keep Looking Up!
Sincerely,
Mike McCabe
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