3towers Observatory Lunar 100/Lunar Features

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
7. Altai Scarp	5.4 days
7. Altai Scarp	7 days		The montage extends from the Ariadaeus Rille in the upper left hand corner to the Altai Scarp at the bottom of the image.
7. Altai Scarp	7.5 days
8.  Catharina	5.7 days
8. Catharina	7.0 days
8. Theophilus, Cyrillus	5.7 days
8. Theophilus, Cyrillus	6.96 days
8. Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina	5.7 days
8. Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina	6 days		From top to bottom along the left edge of the image are the craters Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina. Mare Nectaris is in the center of the image, and Fracastorius is the crater on the Southern edge of Mare Nectaris.
8. Theophilus, Cyrillus, Catharina	8.1 days
9. Clavius	9 days		Clavius is the large heavily shadowed crater near the bottom of the image. Above it is Maginus with smaller craters on its rim and in its interior. Northwest of Maginus is Tycho which is heavily shadowed, though its central peak is visible.
9. Clavius	9.3 days
9. Clavius	9.9 days
9. Clavius	10 days
9. Clavius	11.7 days
9. Clavius	21.7 days
9. Clavius	22 days
10. Mare Crisium	3 days
10. Mare Crisium	5 days
10. Mare Crisium	13 days		The bright crater with the rays is Proclus.
10. Mare Crisium	14.7 days (Full Moon)		The bright crater with the rays is Proclus.
10. Mare Crisium	16 days