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 (rounded down)	Thumbnail Image	Comments
91. De Gasparis Rilles	11.6 days
92. Gylden Valley	9.3 days		The dark narrow valley running above center and North of the large crater Ptolemaeus touches on a flat poorly preserved crater Gylden.
93. Dionysius Rays	6.05 days		There are unusual dark rays around the crater Dionysius       The craters are labeled in this image.
93. Dionysius Rays	Full Moon (14.7 days)		Dionysius is one of the brightest craters on the Moon.  This is particularly evident at Full Moon.
94. Drygalski	13.1 days		The various craters in this image have been labeled: CL-Clavius; BL-Blancanus; KL-Klaproth; C-Casatus; D-Drygalski; N-Newton; S-Short; M-Moretus.
94. Drygalski	21.7 days
95. Procellarum Basin
96. Leibnitz Mountains
97. Inghirami Valley
98. Imbrium basin at Full Moon	14.7 days
98. Imbrium lava flows	21 days
99. Ina Caldera	7.6 days
100.  Mare Marginis swirls	5.6 days		This montage shows the Eastern limb of the Moon.
100.  Mare Marginis swirls	5.6 days		MC = Mare Crisium; Con = Condorcet; Fi = Firmicus; L = Langrenus.
100.  Mare Marginis swirls	10.9 days