The Moon

The diameter of the Moon is 3474 kilometers. The mean distance is 384000 kilometers, varying between 357000-406000 kilometers. Mass is only 1,2 percent of Earth mass. The surface of the Moon has stayed quite unchanged after birth of the Solar system. The dark areas are ancient lava-fields. The light areas are highlands. Asteroid impacts have created craters to the surface of the Moon. Also Earth has been impacted by the Asteroids, but erosion process has worn off most of the impact craters. The Mare Imbrium, The Sea of Rains, has diameter of 1156 kilometers. It is surrounded by 7 kilometers high mountains. Area was born 4 billion years ago when an asteroid, with 250 kilometers diameter, hit the Moon. The diameter of Archimedes crater is 83 kilometers and it is 2,1 kilometers deep. The diameter of Plato crater is 109 kilometers and it is 1 kilometers deep.

On images below you can see the earth-shine on the dark side of the Moon. It the light reflected by the Earth illuminating the dark side of the Moon

In the image below the landing sites of the manned Apollo missions are marked. Apollo 11 was year 1969 and Apollo 17 year 1972.

The Apollo 11 landed on Moon 20th of July 1969. First man on the moon was Niel Armstrong, with the famous first words on the moon: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". Apollo 17 in 1972 was the last manned mission to Moon.

Apollo 13, year 1970, had an accident and it did not land on Moon: "Houston, We've Got a Problem".

Terminator

The border of light and dark on the Moon is called the terminator. Daytime temperature on Moon is +123 C and on night -233 C. Moon goes around Earth in 27,3 days, so the day on Moon is 13,6 Earth days. Below phases of the Moon in 3 subsequent nights and development of scenery around Theophilus crater when the Sun is rising higher on the sky of the Moon. The diameter of Theophilus crater is 100 kilometers and the depth is 3,2 kilometers.

Full Moon

Full moon 18th of November 2021. Stack of 2 videos with Autostakkert. Celestron 8 F10.

Copernikus crater

Copernikus crater. The diameter of Copernicus crater is 96 kilometers and it is 3.8 kilometers deep. It was born 800 million years ago. The crater is named according to astronomer Nikolaus Kopernikus

Mare Imbrium

The Mare Imbrium, The Sea of Rains, has diameter of 1156 kilometers. It is surrounded by 7 kilometers high mountains. Area was born 4 billion years ago when an asteroid, with 250 kilometers diameter, hit the Moon. The diameter of Archimedes crater is 83 kilometers and it is 2,1 kilometers deep. The diameter of Platon crater is 109 kilometers and it is 1 kilometers deep.

Apennine mountains and Archimedes

Apennine mountains are on north side of Mare Imbrium. The tallest mountains reach to 3-5 kilometers heigth. The diameter of Archimedes crater is 83 kilometers and it is 2,1 kilometers deep.

Hyginus Rille

Hyginus crater and Hyginus Rille is probably a volcanic formation.

Dark areas in highlands of Sinus Aestuum

The dark areas at highlands of Sinus Aestuum are result of volcanic activity: Pyroclastic dark mantle deposit (DMD). More about subject: Matthew I. Staid Lisa R. Gaddis Sebastian Besse Jessica M. Sunshine 2017, Investigation of Lunar Spinels at Sinus Aestuum and NASA LRO, 2010, A Dark Cascade at Sulpicius Gallus .

Mare Crisium

The diameter of Mare Crisium is 570 kilometers. It has 2 outstanding craters, Picard( diameter 23km) and Peirce( diameter 19km).

Rupes Recta

Rupes Recta is a straigth wall on Mare Nubiumium. It is 110km long, 2-3 kilometers wide and 240-300 meters high

Aristarchus crater

Aristarchus is the brightest crater on the Moon. It is quite young, age 450 million years. Its diameter is 40km and depth 3.7 km. There has been temporary brigtenings in the area, which be caused by gas eruptions. TSL=Transient Lunar Phenomenon. Right from Aristarchus is Herodotus crater. Below Herodotus is Schröters Valley. Below Aristarchus is a small crater named Väisälä.

Theophilus crater

The diameter of Theophilus crater is 100 kilometers and the depth is 3,2 kilometers.

Tycho and Clavius craters

The diameter of Tycho crater is 85 kilometers and it is 4.6 kilometers deep. It is young, only 108 million years old. There goes rays from the Tycho crater around the moon, even to 1500 kilometers distance. The crater is named according to astronomer Tycho Brahe. The diameter of Clavius crater is 225 kilometers and it is 3.5 kilometers deep. It was born 4 billion years ago.

Posidonius crater

The diameter of Posidonius crater is 95 kilometers and it is 2,3 kilometers deep

Plato ja Jura mountains

The diameter of Plato is109 kilometers and it is 1 km deep. The tallest heiths of Jura mountains reach 3800 meters

Mare Humorum

The diameter of Mare Humorum is 420km. It's age is 3.9 billion years. On the north side is Gassendi crater, diameter 110km and depth 1.9km

Eclipse of the Moon 2019

Total eclipse of the Moon 21st of January 2019 at Kirkkonummi, Finland. Temperature was -19 C. The red color is caused by red end sun light which gets trough and bends in earth atmosphere, hitting the moon. Telescope SkyWatcher 80/600 ED and camera Canon Eos 60Da.

Moon moving to Earth shadow. First touch to full shadow at 05:37. In full shadow 06:42. Deepest 07:13. First images are with 1/1600 second exposures. Last images are with 1000 times longer exposures, 1-2 seconds. Camera sensitivity set to ISO 1600.

Image compositions of the Moon

The terminator of the Moon, 9th March 2022. Phase of Moon was 43 percent. Image is a mosaic of several video stacks. Telescope Celestron 8, F10, 20mm eyepiece. Camera Canon Eos 60Da.

The terminator area of the Moon 21st of March 2021. Phase of the Moon 52 percent

The terminator area of the Moon 21st of April 2021. Phase of the Moon 65 percent