Atlas and Endymion Home

This is the far north-eastern sector of the Moon.  Endymion is a very old crater at about 4,000 million years and is 130 Km in diameter.  It is 4600 metres deep, which is very deep considering that at some time it has been flooded with lava as shown by its very flat floor.  There are quite a few small craters in that floor which do not show up in my picture.  Atlas is a somewhat more recent feature at about 3500 million years  It is 90 Km in diameter and some 3000 metres deep.  Unlike Endymion, it has a central mountain which just catches the sunlight in the early-morning picture.  De la Rue is another ancient formation in this area.  It is 140 Km in diameter and supports Strabo on its northern rim.  The flat area to the west of Mercuius is known as the Lacus Temporis (the 'temporary lake').

Move your mouse over the picture to see the names of the various features.

This is an early-morning picture.  The libration was fairly favourable in longitude (5° 16') but somewhat unfavourable in latitude (-2° 37') so the area is quite well displayed.
The scale markers are very approximately 100 Km north and west and apply in the region of Atlas.  The scale decreases rapidly as you approach the limb as a result of foreshortening, and the direction of north changes due to the projection.
The picture was taken at 19:05 UT on 14th March 2005 when the Moon was 4.6 days old.

Date and Time: 14th March 2005 19:05 UT
Camera: ToUcam 740K
Telescope: ETX125 at prime focus
Capture: K3CCDTools. high gamma, 1/100", 36% gain, 310 frames
Processing: Registax. 237 frames stacked. Wavelet 1,2 = 10, 3 = 5


This was taken a little bit later in the lunar morning. The libration was less favourable than above (1° 24' in longitude, -2° 37' in latitude) but Mare Humoldtianum shows up nicely.
The scale markers are very approximately 100 Km north and east and apply in the region of Atlas.
The picture was taken at 21:35 UT on 2nd June 2006 when the Moon was 6.4 days old.

Date and Time: 2nd June 2006 21:35 UT
Camera: ToUcam 740K
Telescope: LX200 at prime focus with IR-pass filter
Capture: K3CCDTools. low gamma, 1/25", 22% gain, 215 frames
Processing: Registax. 111 frames stacked. Wavelet 1,2 = 10


This is a late-afternoon picture compared to that above, and is a slightly larger scale (and a rather different orientation).  The libration was very similar in longitude (5° 18') and even more unfavourable in latitude (-5° 27') but the area is still quite well displayed.  Craters to the west of Atlas have come into view.  Hercules is a 71-Km crater, 3,200 metres deep, but with no central mountain.
The scale markers are very approximately 100 Km north and west and apply in the region of Atlas.
The picture was taken at 20:18 UT on 17th November 2005 when the Moon was 16.6 days old.

Date and Time: 17th March 2005 19:05 UT
Camera: ToUcam 740K
Telescope: LX200 at prime focus
Capture: K3CCDTools. Low gamma, 1/100", 4% gain, 388 frames
Processing: Registax. 100 frames stacked. Wavelet 1,2 = 10, gamma 1.2
This is the same area as above and taken at almost the same phase, but the libration (3° 52' in longitude, -1° 6' in latitude) has tipped the Moon southwards, so we see slightly more of the terrain east of Endymion B, for example.
The scale markers are very approximately 100 Km north and east and apply in the region of Keldysh.
The picture was taken at 21:17 UT on 3rd February 2007 when the Moon was 16.3 days old.

Date and Time: 3 February 2007 21:17 UT
Camera: Atik 1-HS
Telescope: LX200 at prime focus
Capture: K3CCDTools. Low gamma, 1/250", 30% gain, 320 frames
Processing: Registax. 8 alignment points, 304 frames stacked. Wavelets 1 = 10, 2 = 5 gamma 1.3
The same area as in the picture above taken the following day.  Endymion has sunk into shadow with only a few peaks on its eastern rim and beyond catching the light from the setting Sun.  Also visible here is the very eastern end of the Mare Frigoris which extends right across the northern section of the Moon and eventually joins the Oceanus Procellarum - a sort of lunar north-west passage.
The picture was taken at 23:10 UT on 18th November 2005 with my LX200 when the Moon was 17.6 days old.

Date and Time: 18th November 2005 23:10 UT
Camera: ToUcam 740K
Telescope: LX200 at prime focus
Capture: K3CCDTools. high gamma, 1/100", 36% gain, 310 frames
Processing: Registax. 77 frames stacked. Wavelet 1,2 = 10 
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