Image of the Moon at 6.3 DaysHome


Here is a nice demonstration of Libration.  The two pictures below were taken at the same phase of the Moon, but 8 months (plus a year) apart.  The libration is almost exactly opposite for the two images.  This is clearly seen by comparing the positions of Mare Crisium and various craters (for example Theophilus) visible in the two images, and the presence of dark features on the image on the right that are not visible on the one on the left.  Similarly Mere Serenitatis is clearly seen in the left image but is not yet in sunshine on the right-hand image.  (Move your mouse over the images to identify these three features.)

There is a link below these two pictures to a higher-resolution image taken in March 2020 when the libration was very similar to that in the left-hand picture below.

The Moon at 6.3 days The Moon at 6.4 days
Date and Time: 8th April 2003 20:56 UT (day 6.3)
Camera: ToUcam 740K
Telescope: 270 mm SLR lens
Capture: K3CCDTools. Mid gamma, 1/250", 8% gain
Processing: Registax. 305 frames, Wavelets 1,6 = 20

Libration: Latitude -3° 21'
             Longitude -7° 26'
Date and Time: 17th December 2004 18:15 UT (day 6.4)
Camera: ToUcam 740K
Telescope: 270 mm SLR lens
Capture: K3CCDTools. High gamma, 1/250", 10% gain
Processing: Registax. 351 frames, Wavelets 1,2 = 10

Libration: Latitude +5° 31'
             Longitude +6° 39'

This picture was taken with a Canon 1100D DSLR camera
attached to my Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.
Click on the picture to see the highest-resolution version
and click on that to see it full sized.
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Date and Time: 1st March 2020 19:16 UT (day 6.4)
Camera: Canon 1100D
Telescope: 8-inch Ritchey-Chrétien
Capture: 10 frames, 1/800", ISO 400
Processing: Registax5. 10 frames, histogram 0-150, wavelets 1,2 = 10

Libration: Latitude 4° 22'
             Longitude -6° 49'
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