3towers Observatory Lunar 100: 1-6

The Lunar 100 was created by Charles A. Wood who states: "The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to provide Moon lovers with something akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy with the Messier catalog: a selection of telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. [It is]... a selection of the Moons 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains, rilles, and domes."

Woods challenges "...observers to find and observe them all and, more important, to consider what each feature tells us about lunar and Earth history."

To find out more about the Lunar 100 see the Sky & Telescope web site at: http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/article_1199_1.asp .

The Lunar 100 features are arranged from the easiest to view to the most difficult. The Moon itself is L1. L2 is Earthshine, and L3 represents the dichotomy between the Lunar highlands and the Lunar Maria. While the Lunar 100 are concentrated all on the nearside of the Moon, they can not be seen in a single night or a single month. Some of them require special lighting conditions or phases of the Moon, and others, in addition, require very favorable librations of the Moon to bring them into view. The Lunar 100 is an observing list. However, the equipment at the 3towers Observatory was used to image the Lunar 100, mainly using the web cam techniques detailed.

Lunar Features|Lunar 100|Moon Halos|Lunar Webcam Imaging|Lunar Eclipses

Lunar Feature	Lunar Age in days	Thumbnail Image	Comments
1. The Moon			The phases of the Moon are individually shown from day 1 through day 27. The Moon is oriented as viewed with the naked eye from the mid-Northern Hemisphere. The near Full Moon images (days 14-15) are labeled for Lunar East and West, which are opposite terrestrial East and West.
2. Earthshine			This image was taken at the 2004 Texas Star Party with a 5-inch f/5 refractor and a Nikon D100 digital camera.
3. Mare/Highland Dichotomy	15 days; Full Moon		The major Maria are labeled in this image.
4. Apennines	9 days		The Apennines are part of the Imbrium impact basin rim.
4. Apennines	9.3 days
4. Apennines	14.7 days
4. Apennines	21.7 days
5. Copernicus	9.3 days
5. Copernicus	9.9 days
5. Copernicus	10 days
5. Copernicus	10.33 days
5. Copernicus	10.8 days
5. Copernicus	21.7 days
5. Copernicus	23.6 and 23.7 days	23.6 days   23.7 days	Notice the subtle shift in the position of the terminator on Copernicus in the 2.4 hours from 23.6 days to 23.7 days.
6. Tycho	8.0 days
6. Tycho	9 days
6. Tycho	9.3 days
6. Tycho	9.9 days
6. Tycho and Southern Highlands Montage	12 days
6. Tycho	21.7 days