Visual astronomy. Craters on the lunar surface. North Mare Crisium.

Mare Crisium Basin is a multi-ring structure from an impact of a cosmic body, and is located on the east side of the Moon.

This circular Basin has a number of interesting features.

What you see in this image, is the north-west area of Mare Crisium and land outside the basin. Here we see craters as Macrobius (64 km) and Tisserand (37 km), at the bottom, and on the top is a part of Cleomedes (126 km), a crater which on this phase is in darkness. On the Mare Crisium we notice some "wrinkles" that go along the edge, called Dorsum Oppel.

The region is close to the terminal, thus leading to better observe the heights surrounding the basin.

Two craters almost destroyed and flooded, with irregular shapes, are located north of Macrobius, Macrobius T (29 km) and over its east is Macrobius S (26 km).

All Registax processed images can be seen here.

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

462 frames at 85% best quality in Registax

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Crater Peirce video captures through the telescope.

When astronomers first observed the Moon through a telescope and called those large dark spots seas, they were not wrong, although they did not know the exact truth about them. Those spots are really seas, but made of hardened lava. An example is the western Mare Crisium that looks like a basin with high shores.

Not far from the "shore" we see a "high wave" called Dorsum Oppel.

In this basin we can distinguish among not too many craters, a small one located here, called Peirce (19 km). To its north is a smaller one called Swift (10 km).


You can view the images processed in Registax 5 here.

462 frames at 85% in Registax.

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

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Northwest Crisium basin and Macrobius crater beautiful images

462 frames at 85% best quality in Registax



508 frames at 85% best quality in Registax



912 frames at 75% best quality in Registax

In the pictures above, there are many interesting features observed on the eastern Moon. On the right, notice half of Mare Crisium, upper west (the other east half is in shadow) and left in pictures, notice craters of different sizes, located north-west of Crisium basin.


  This basin, is surrounded by mountains in a collar shape, which in these lighting conditions is very highlighted and can be likened to a whipped cream frosting around a pie.


West of Mare Crisium, we see two craters, a big one, named Macrobius (64 km), and to its east a smaller one called Tisserand (37 km). Macrobius is perfectly round in shape, but from Earth is seen as having an oval shape. On the south-west of it, notice a small crater named Macrobius C (10 km).

West of Macrobius, notice a long spot with a dark color. This is Lacus Bonitatis.


On Mare Crisium, the view is magnificent in this light. Dorsum Oppel is seen very well, a very nice feature that can be compared to a "vein" that runs parallel to the edge of the basin.

To the east of Dorsum Oppel, observe two craters: Peirce (19 km) (larger), and Swift (11 km) (smaller).

Images are processed in Registax of a video that have taken more shots, merged to form a single image.

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: Registax, FastStone Image Viewer

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HD Video by astronomical telescope. Taruntius crater and western Crisium basin

These are astronomical telescope HD video images with Taruntius crater (56 km) and west of Crisium basin on the eastern Moon, as seen from Earth.


  The night of 30 to 31 January 2012 was one with an atmosphere quite clean, but very frosty. Images consequently come up to be satisfying with video camera mounted on the telescope.


In this video, I have extracted several frames in Registax program, to form some clear pictures that can be seen in the article: Taruntius crater and on the border of area Mare Fecunditatis-Tranquillitatis. Telescope Images .


  Also at 3:00 minute, the telescope moves it's attention to craters north of Taruntius, at Proclus (28 km), the bigger one Macrobius (64 km) on the west of the Crisium basin, and the beautiful crater called Picard (23 km)  located on Mare Crisium. Images in Registax of these craters, you can see in the article: Wonderful pictures of western Mare Crisium and crater Picard on the Moon .

I've talked more about these regions, in the articles specified above.



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

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Lunar images through the telescope Proclus and Macrobius craters

The images through the telescope in this article, are craters located to the east of the Moon. In the first picture is seen almost entirely, Palus Somni, wich is the open stretch of land that is located west of Mare Crisium. Over Palus Somni, is visible in this photo a stripe whiter than the surrounding land, and is actually the ejection that remained after the impact that formed the crater Proclus.
Other craters in these pictures are: Macrobius, Carmichael, Hill and Lyell.

Photographer: Victor Lupu
Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX105 to 8x optical zoom
Total Magnification: 800x
Filter: no
Date: 08/16/2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: video captures, FastStone Image Viewer

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Astronomy lecture.Western Mare Crisium.Pictures by telescope

These captures of western Crisium sea through the telescope, are presented in another article: Video by astronomical telescope-near Western Mare Crisium.
There are many present craters on this large area, and I will only talk about features that were not discussed before.

We start with Burkhardt crater (57 km), which is located between craters Geminus (86 km), on north, and Cleomedes on south.
Burckhardt is located on two slightly smaller-sized craters on the opposite sides, producing a triple crater formation. Burckhardt E (39 km), is covered by the southwest quadrant of Burckhardt's, while Burckhardt F (43 km), is covered by the northwest quadrant. Crater rim is circular, but somewhat irregular in shape. There is a central peak near the midpoint of the crater floor.

Stucked in the western edge of the crater Cleomedes, is Tralles, and to the east of Cleomedes is the crater Delmotte (32 km), a small crater, whose characteristics are difficult to see because of its position.

Continue to the next photo description below, are craters Macrobius and Tisserand, 64 and 37 km, crater ray Proclus (28 km), and west of Proclus is Palus Somni , an area of 143 km,.

In the third picture below, there are many small craters on the surface of the sea, but also on its edge.
Peirce crater (19 km) with Picard (23 km), are those who are most "into the sea" of Crisium.
Picard's interior has a series of terraces, which seismologists have attributed to a collapse of the crater floor. The lowest point of the crater floor is about 2000 meters below its rim, and has a small hill in the center.

Other craters located further to the edge of the sea are Yerkes (36 km), Lick (31 km), Greaves (14 km), and Glaisher crater (16 km).

Yerkes crater (36 km), it seems interesting, because its inside was almost completely flooded by lava, leaving only a shallow remnant edge above the sea, and the edge is the most visible in west. The floor has a similar albedo with the large Crisium sea, so Yerkes's features are not distinct by surroundings.

About craters Firmicus (56 km) and Apollonius (53 km), I will speak in another article dedicated to them.

Photographer: Victor Lupu
Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX105 to 8x optical zoom
Total Magnification: 800x
Filter: no
Date: 08/16/2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: video capture, FastStone Image Viewer

Above are images processed in Registax.

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Video by astronomical telescope-near Western Mare Crisium

This stabilized video presents west of Crisium Sea. The clip starts with the large crater Cleomedes (126 km) in the north of the sea. Images goes along the west of the sea, to south, when Macrobius and Tisserand craters appear, then the bright ray crater Proclus (28 km).

  We go forward and climb the Mare Crisium plateau, where we see two isolated craters: the smaller left is Peirce (19 km), and the bigger on right is Picard (23 km).

In the bottom-right corner begins to see a bit of Mare Fecunditatis.
We visually keep on eye the Mare Crisium, and we reach its southern edge, where Firmicus (56 km) and Apollonius (53 km) craters takes shape, and then there are two large plates: Mare Spumans, on the top, and Sinus Succesus on the bottom of the screen.



Video: Victor Lupu
Optics: CelestronC8" -Newtonian telescope, plossl20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX105 at 7x optical zoom
Total Magnification: 700x
Filter: no
Date: 16/08/2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: Sony Vegas 10

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Macrobius crater west of Mare Crisium. Telescope images

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX105 to 8x optical zoom
Total Magnification: 800x
Filter: no
Date: 08/16/2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: video capture, FastStone Image Viewer

         Macrobius crater (64 km), located north-west of Mare Crisium, although not very large in diameter, compared with small craters in the area, it is quickly to spot . It is on south-east edge of Lacus Bonitatis, a small sea. It has a depth of 3.9 km.

Macrobius's outer wall has an interior with multiple terraces. A little satellite crater Macrobius C (10 km), is on the western edge. In the center of the crater is a central mountain complex, and there is a small ridge in the west interior, but the rest of the floor is relatively with no features.

Crater Tisserand (37 km), somewhat smaller, is located on the east of Macrobius. It has a depth of 2.8 km.
The lunar crater Proclus (28 km), you can not miss it if you look through a telescope near Mare Crisium, because of the rays with a very high albedo, which starts from it, though is a small crater.

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