Observing
the Full Moon
For many astronomers, the full moon is mostly
a nuisance, a natural kind of light pollution, making deep-sky
observations impossible and astrophotography difficult. But
it is a rewarding target for observation in itself, move your
mouse pointer over the links in the left column of the table
below and see some regions of interest highlighted in this image
of the full moon.
 |
| Alphonsus
dark spots |
The crater Alphonsus contains some small dark spots
which are easily visible on a full moon. They consist
of volcanic material. |
| Reiner
Gamma |
A mysterious swirl of bright material on the floor
of a mare. No topographic features are associated
with that swirl, but a magnetic anomaly. |
| Aristarchus
region |
The Brightest area on the moon. On the full moon
the very bright crater Aristarchus, and the slightly
different color of the Aristarchus region can be discerned. |
| Tycho |
This you crater is surrounded by a dark ring of
glassy material which was melted during the impact. |
| Bessel
ray |
A bright ray crossing the floor of Mare Serenitatis |
| Copernicus
crater |
On a full moon the light-grey colored ejecta blanked
surrounding the crater itself is very visible. |
| Proclus |
The distinct shape of the rays of this crater point
to a very oblique impact. |
| Mare
Australe |
Peeking across the horizon Mare Australe can be
seen. |
| South
Pole |
On the South pole of the moon may be crater floors
which are perpetually in shadow, and might harbour
water ice. |
|
All images © Philipp
Salzgeber
|
Lunar Images by Philipp Salzgeber