Images of the Moon. Craters Magelhaens and Colombo.

Visible craters in the images are: Colombo (76 km), Magelhaens (41 km), Bellot (17 km), Crozier (22 km), McClure (24 km), Bohnenberger (33 km).

To view the processed images in Registax and more information about this area, click here.

To view the video of which I processed these images, you can go back to the article: Craters Goclenius Magelhaens and Colombo. Video by telescope.

Age of the Moon: 17 days
Phase: 93% (0% = New, 100% = full)
Distance: 394.960 km

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, 20mm Plossl, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5) motorized
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 31/12/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: FastStone Image Viewer

114 frames at 90 % gaussian (Registax 5) 03.09.2012.

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Colombo crater and surroundings. Telescope Images processed in Registax

279 frames la 80% best quality , gaussian



197 frames at 87% best quality , gaussian



80 frames at 90% best quality

Observe craters McClure (24 km), McClure D (22 km) and Crozier (22 km), roughly the same in size, forming a triangle. They are located on higher ground. I would not have noticed this if the Moon would not had been at this phase.

Below Colombo (76 km), south-east, is the flooded crater Cook (47 km). The smooth plateau from the right in photo, is Mare Fecunditatis.

Images are processed in Registax of a video from which were taken more frames, merged to form a single image. To view the video of which I processed these images, you can go back to the article: East of lunar craters by telescope in December 2012. The beautiful Gutenberg and Goclenius craters or another, from September 3, 2012: Craters Goclenius Magelhaens and Colombo. Video by telescope.

Age of the Moon: 17 days
Phase: 93% (0% = New, 100% = full)
Distance: 394.960 km

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, 20mm Plossl, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 31/12/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: Registax, FastStone Image Viewer

114 90 gauss 03092012

Picture of September 3, 2012

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East of the Moon Craters by telescope in December 2012. The beautiful Gutenberg and Goclenius craters

On the night of December 30, 2012, I've filmed these east Moon craters, through a telescope which has a primary mirror of 8 inches (203 mm). The atmosphere was quite clean without being burdened by pollution of the city.

   To film or photograph the Moon, there is no need to travel out of town to get away from light pollution. In deep-sky astrophotography this is mandatory, because of using long exposures and you would not like to have in the bottom of the pictures (or in all image), yellow spots or other colors of city lights which reduces the clarity drastically.

In general, for filming / photographing the Moon, you need a clear atmosphere without turbulence from temperature of buildings (in winter), because the Moon is bright and big, on which you are not using long exposures.

When the Sun is at a low angle, the lunar landscape becomes more realistic in most cases regardless the observed region, because the shadows of the mountains, craters, their central peaks and other forms of relief, are projected around them, thereby obtaining more information quantity about the area. When the Sun shine from a high angle, all is bright, without shadows of the lunar relief to give more life to the landscape.

In these images, we see a number of craters in zig-zag (Magelhaens and Colombo), but which mostly keeps a direction from north to south, and Montes Pyrenaeus, located on the left in the video. About this, I have spoken in another article, where I've posted photos taken from this video, but also in another article with images in the same area, taken in September 3, 2012, processed in the program for astrophotography, Registax.




Optics: CelestronC8 "-Newtonian telescope, plossl20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5) motorized
Device: Sony CX-130
Video mode: Full HD progressive 1920x1080
Filter: no
Date: 31/12/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: Sony Vegas 10

Picture taken in September 3, 2012

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Montes Pyrenaeus and the craters chain between Nectaris-Fecunditatis. Telescope images

2 frames at 100% best quality.



114 frames at 90% best quality



114 frames at 90% best quality



1 frame at 100% best quality.

The diversity of the landscape in this area, makes a wonderful view. The region shown in these photos processed in Registax, is located on the east of the Moon, between 2 basins: Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris.

Observe craters arranged in zig-zag, from north to south, beginning with Goclenius, Magelhaens (41 km), Magelhaens A (32 km), Colombo (42 km) and ending with Colombo (76 km). Almost all craters listed above, have lava flooded floors, except Magelhaens A. They have an oval shape as it is seen from Earth, because are located closer to the edge of the Moon, but they're having a round shape (except the Goclenius).

   The most beautiful of all of this crater chain, seems to be Colombo to me, the southernmost of them, due to its shape, because of its position on the lunar disc. Peaks are observed on the floor in an arched shape. Also notice the smaller crater northwest of Colombo, called Colombo A, which is stuck a little more in its walls.

Goclenius (72 km), the northernmost one in the images, has not a round shape, but oval, flattened on the northeast and southwest, with a shape similar to an egg lying on the left.

Notice the mountain range that separates the two basins (Fecunditatis-Nectaris). This is called Montes Pyrenaeus (after the Pyrenees mountains on Earth). They start from the western edge of the crater Goclenius to Mare Nectaris, forming it's eastern edge of it. These mountains, have a length of 164 km.

Another interesting feature in these images is Mare Fecunditatis. Observe some "wrinkles" lying on the plateau of the basin. The thick one, is called Dorsa Mawson, the one that comes from the east and going down down south.

Age of the Moon: 17 days
Phase: 90% (0% = New, 100% = Full)
Distance: 399796 km


Optics: Celestron C8"-Newtonian telescope, 20mm Plossl, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 03/09/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: Registax, FastStone Image Viewer

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Craters Goclenius Magelhaens and Colombo. Video by telescope

Goclenius (72 km), Magelhaens (41 km) and Colombo (76 km) craters are located between two basins, namely Mare Nectaris and Mare Fecunditatis, row somewhat in line from north to south on the eastern side of the lunar cadran. Videos are upside down as seen through the telescope, so that north becomes south and vice versa.

Between this series of craters and Mare Nectaris, is a mountain range, which forms the Nectaris basin's edge.

More details about these craters, I will write in another article with photos of the video images processed in Registax.




Optics: CelestronC8 "-Newtonian telescope, plossl20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX-130
Video mode: Full HD progressive 1920x1080
Filter: no
Date: 03/09/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: Sony Vegas 10

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