its.monthly.orbit).is.perhaps.the.most.dramatic.of.all..The.
terminator.then.runs.right.down.the.middle.of.its.visible.
face,.and.surface.relief.is.at.its.best..
As.Full.Moon.approaches.(at.which.time.it’s.opposite.the.
Sun,.rising.as.the.Moon.sets),.watch.the.ray.systems.
become. brighter. and. more. obvious.. Also. watch. how,.
from. night. to. night,. craters. obviously. visible. the. night.
before.“flatten”.and.disappear.in.the.brilliant.glare.of.the.
surface..The.huge.expanse.of.Mare.Imbrium,.ringed.by.
mountains,.and.the.flooded.craters.along.the.shores.of.
Oceanus.Procellarum.and.Mare.Nubium.are.now.seen.
at.their.full.extent..Dramatic.lighting.on.the.first.evening.
it.becomes.visible.makes.the.crater.Copernicus,.located.
about.halfway.along.the.terminator,.a.sight.you’ll.long.
remember!.As.the.nights.pass,.the.Moon's.ray.system.
will. emerge. into. view,. the. longest. sections. of. which.
reach.halfway.around.the.Moon..
At.Full.Moon.itself.there.are.no.shadows.visible,.and.the.
Moon’s.surface.looks.flat.and.devoid.of.relief,.making.it.
something.of.a.disappointment.to.so.many.who.expect.
it.to.be.at.its.best.at.this.time..And.yet,.this.is.an.almost.
magical.occasion.for.dazzling.Moon-gazing..Instead.of.
deep.shadowed.craters,.you’ll.see.bright.rings.marking.
their. outer. walls. and. many. small. craters. looking. like.
tiny.white.spots..The.rays.are.now.at.their.best,.those.
radiating.from.Tycho.and.Copernicus.being.among.the.
most.striking.features.at.this.phase..
After.Full.Moon,.our.lovely.satellite.rises.later.and.later.
each.night,.and.goes.through.its.phases.in.reverse.order.
back.to.Gibbous,.Last.Quarter,.Waning.Crescent,.and.
finally,. back. to. New. again.. You. may. want. to. set. your.
alarm.clock.to.different.early.hours.and.get.up.before.
dawn.so.that.you.can.watch.the.lunar.“evening”.shadows.
cast.the.opposite.direction.on.craters.you.saw.during.the.
lunar.“morning.”
The. Moon. map. on. page. 12. shows. some. of. the. most.
fascinating. lunar. features. and. can. be. used. with. your.
Astroscan.to.tour.our.neighboring.world.at.all.its.phases..
Don’t.miss.the.huge.mountain.arc.of.the.lunar.Apennines.
surrounding. Mare. Imbrium,. and. be. sure. to. locate. the.
beautiful. crater-chain. of. Ptolemaeus,. Alphonsus. and.
Arzachel..And.there’s.also.Tycho.–.a.bright.new-looking.
crater.in.the.southern.highlands.–.and.the.great.ringed.
plain. Clavius. with. many. smaller. craters. tucked. inside.
of. it.. Another. famous. attraction. is. the. Straight. Wall,.
sometimes. called. the. “Lunar. Railway”.. This. striking.
linear.feature.is.a.subsidence.in.the.Moon’s.crust.and.
if.you.catch.it.at.just.the.right.time.you.can.clearly.see.it.
with.your.15.mm.(30X).eyepiece..
Finally,.your.Astroscan.is.perhaps.the.ultimate.instrument.
for.watching.two.of.the.most.spectacular.of.all.celestial.
events..One.is.a.lunar.eclipse,.at.which.time.the.Moon.
slowly. passes. into. the. Earth’s. dark. inner. shadow. or.
umbra..Actually,.due.to.sunlight.being.bent.around.our.
planet.and.into.the.shadow,.it’s.really.not.totally.dark.at.
all..Instead,.dramatic.shades.of.blood.red,.rose,.copper,.
orange,. and. other. heavenly. hues. are. seen. at. various.
eclipses.(even.occasionally.including.some.pale.blues)..
The.other.event.is.an.occultation.of.a.planet.or.star.by.the.
Moon,.during.which.it.slowly.covers.and.then.uncovers.
such.objects.lying.in.its.orbital.pathway..Perhaps.most.
dramatic.is.an.occultation.of.the.bright.naked-eye.star.
cluster.known.as.the.Pleiades,.or.the.“Seven.Sisters.”.
The. Astroscan. at. 16X. easily. encompasses. both. the.
glittering. diamonds. of. this. stellar. jewelbox. and. the.
Moon.in.the.same.field.of.view.as.they.approach.and.
depart.from.each.other..Check.either.of.the.two.leading.
monthly.astronomy.magazines,.
Sky & Telescope
.(www.
skyandtelescope.com). or.
Astronomy
. (www.astronomy.
com). for. the. dates. and. times. of. upcoming. celestial.
events.including.occultations.and.eclipses.
Waxing Crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon