West of the Moon images by astronomical telescope.

Throughout its history, the Moon has undergone many and varied attempts to reach the form that we see today through a telescope. These steps were somewhat like a puzzle arranged by astronomers to understand exactly how and when the successive periods was reached forming seas, mountains, craters and other lunar features.

Also successive periods can be found in any available object for observation, if we have enough data for analysis. Even Earth has such successive periods of forming but many have been erased by erosion, the atmosphere. But the Moon has no atmosphere and all stages of its formation are more easily understood by scientists.

I believe that parts of southeast and south of the Moon, are the most ancient lands because they were not affected by the seas that covered much of the surface. Also in these images crater walls were untouched by floods of Mare Humorum. Examples are Gassendi (110 km) Mersenius (84 km) Liebig (37 km), Gasparis (30 km), Cavendish (56 km), Freres (42 km), Byrgius (87 km) - in the shade.

Magnitude: -12.11
Phase: 0.96
Distance: 401.329 km
Illuminated: 96.2% (0% = New, 100% = Full)

Astronomical instrument: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope,
Eyepiece: Plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Apparatus: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 08.11.2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: FastStone Image Viewer

In the picture below are labeled craters and other lunar features in the region. To better understand this photo, you should note that the label with the name or the letter of larger craters could be found at their center, and on the small craters, you should find them around them, usually above.

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Lunar craters through telescope. Fourier and Vieta.

Fourier crater (51 km), has a quite large depth of 3.7 km, compared to its size. It is located on the south-west of the Moon, to the southeast of the larger crater Vieta.
The crater is generally circular, but appears to be oval when viewed from Earth because it is located on the edge of the lunar disk.

The name of the crater comes from Jean-Baptiste Joseph Fourier (March 21, 1768 - May 16, 1830), who was a mathematician and physicist born in Auxerre, and was best known for heat transfer and vibration. "Fourier Transform" and "Fourier's law" are also named in his honor. Fourier is also credited for discovering the greenhouse effect.

Vieta (87 km), has a depth of 4.5 km. The outer edge went through erosions of impact and its walls are irregular, with incisions in parts. On the floor is a chain of small craters on the north side.

Crater name comes from François Vieta (Latin: Franciscus Vieta) 1540 - February 23, 1603, a French mathematician whose work on new algebra was an important step towards modern algebra through innovative use as parameters in the equations.

Magnitude: -12.03
Phase: 70.5% (0% = new, 100% = full)
Distance: 398.311 km
Sidereal Period: 27.32 days
Illuminated: 92.2%

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian astronomical telescope 
Eyepiece: Plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 14/03/2014
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: FastStone Image Viewer

Images were obtained by attaching a camera directly into the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope of 8 inch Newtonian; For this reason the eyepiece visual field was increased.

In the picture below are labeled craters and other lunar features in the region. To better understand this photo, you should note that the label with the name or the letter of larger craters could be found at their center, and on the small craters, you should find them around them, usually above.

Image from July 2, 2012.

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Lunar features for common telescopes: Mersenius lunar crater.

In northwestern Mare Humorum basin, there is a flooded crarer with scalloped edge called Mersenius (84 km). At this phase, we can notice more of the smooth floor, but not devoid of features and smaller crater on its walls called Mersenius H (15 km). At its south-west we see a crater which in turn has a satellite crater on its edge. This is the satellite crater Cavendish (56 km) and Cavendish E (24 km), and F (18 km).

Going in a straight line to the north-west, there are two craters: Henry (41 km) and Henry Freres (42 km), the latter being filled with shadow.




Many of the craters here were presented in other articles where I presented images of the same evening, but processed in Registax 5. In this article are only video captures.

Distance: 361125 km
Phase: 98.8% (0% = New, 100% = Full)


Optical Telescope CelestronC8 "Newtonian, plossl20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX-130
Video Mode: Full HD 1920x1080 progressive
Filter: no
Date: 02/07/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: Sony Vegas 10 video captures

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HDR Astrophotography West of Mare Humorum. Lunar craters: Mersenius.

148 frames at 80% best quality in Registax 5.

119 frames at 80% best quality in Registax 5.

78 frames at 80% best quality in Registax 5.

46 frames at 80% best quality in Registax 5.

The subject of this article, is Mersenius crater (84 km), located on the western side of the Moon. Although it is almost entirely filled by the shadow, we can observe it's beautiful laced edge better in sunlight, and Mersenius H on the southern rim of the crater.

To the east of this crater is the large circular basin, Mare Humorum, whose western edge is well defined at this phase of the Moon.
Other notable features here on the southwestern basin: remark Doppelmayer flooded crater (64 km), Liebig (37 km) with Rupes Liebig, de Gasparis (30 km), Palmieri (41 km) and Puiseux (25 km) and satellite craters and some of theirs.

Video can be seen here: Video by astronomical telescope Crater Gassendi.

Age of the Moon: 11 days
Distance: 386 658
Phase: 85% (0% = New, 100% = complete)

Optical Telescope Celestron C8 "Newtonian, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX-130
Video Mode: Full HD 1920x1080 progressive
Filter: no
Date: 23/03/2013
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: Sony Vegas 10

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Visual astronomy. Lacroix and Fourier craters Labeled Images.

293 frames at 84% best quality in Registax.

276 frames at 84% best quality in Registax.

2 frames at 100% best quality in Registax.

Although these craters appear as oval, they look like that because the image captures a region on the western edge of the Moon, west of Mare Humorum. Begining with this area are developed only hights reaching the unseen Moon from Earth, where we don't find low areas with large and dark basins, but only deep craters and rough areas.
In the picture below, the craters are labeled with their names, each with a color and those with names A, B, C, ..., are satellite craters of the main crater.
Listed here, are some large craters, as Fourier (52 km), Lacroix (38 km) and Palmieri (41 km).


Age of the Moon: 27 days
Distance: 360.270 km
Phase: 94.6% (0% = new, 100% = complete)

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, Plossl 20 mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 02/07/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: Registax, FastStone Image Viewer

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Craters North-West Mare Humorum. Telescope Images.

121 frames, at 79% in Registax.

165 frames, at 84% in Registax.

In the images in this article are a few nice features observed on northwestern Basin Mare Humorum, craters, which are located on the west side of the Moon. Where dark meets light left in the images, is called  the terminal.

I list here craters which in turn have smaller satellite craters or on the floor or around them, namely Cavendish (56 km) Vieta (87 km), Liebig (37 km), Mersenius (84 km), Gasparis (30 km) Henry (41 km), Freres (42 km), but not least, Gassendi (110 km).

Age of the Moon: 27 days
Distance: 361.204 km
Phase: 98.8% (0% = New, 100% = complete)

Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian telescope, Plossl 20 mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 02.07.2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: Registax, FastStone Image Viewer

Image for guidance, from 04 March 2012.

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Video by astronomical telescope Crater Gassendi

The first thing that crosses my mind when I think of Mare Humorum basin, is Gassendi crater (110 km) (minute 1:31), a diamond ring-shaped crater, located north-west of the circular basin west of the Moon.

Although this video is short, there is much to see in this region from the west of the Moon.

We note here Bullialdus crater (61 km) (0:13 min), Gassendi (0:18 min) and last, beautifully surrounded by shade, located west of Mare Humorum, is Mersenius (84 km) (shown at the beginning of the clip) .

Age of the Moon: 11 days
Distance: 386 658
Phase: 85% (0% = New, 100% = full)





Optical Telescope Celestron C8 "-Newtonian plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony CX-130
Video Mode: Full HD 1920x1080 progressive
Filter: no
Date: 23/03/2013
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing and editing: Sony Vegas 10

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Video-Gassendi crater on Mare Humorum through telescope

Gassendi (110 km.), is a fractured floor crater. Many large craters on Mare Humorum are degraded. This degradation is mainly due to lava flooding from this sea.
 Photographs of this video can be seen here.

The video below has both stabilized and unstabilized images.
Other lunar craters seen here as a feature similar to Gassendi that was flooded by lava, are Doppelmayer, Lee, Vitello M, and Hippalus, all located inside the Humorum basin, and Mersenius crater, wich located outside the sea to the west.



Video: Victor Lupu
Optics: CelestronC8 "-Newtonian telescope, plossl20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: SonyCX105 at 7x optical zoom
Total Magnification: 700x
Filter: no
Date: 14/05/2011
Location: BaiaMare, Romania
Processing and editing: Registax 6, FastStone

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Vieta Mersenius and Cavendish craters

Photographer: Victor Lupu
Optics: Celestron C8-Newtonian reflector telescope, plossl 20mm, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Device: Sony HDR CX105
Filter: No
Date: 15/02/2011
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: video capture

        Vieta (87 km) is a lunar impact crater that lies north of Schickard, in the south-west of the Moon. In the southeast is Fourier (52 km) below, and north-north-east lies Cavendish (56 km).
        The outer edge of this crater has undergone erosion and small craters are on edge. The interior walls are irregular, and broken in some locations. A chain of small craters are located on the northern half of the bottom of the crater, on a line east-northeast.
    The crater was named after François Viète (latin: Franciscus Vieta, 1540-23 Feb 1603), which was a French mathematician who made an important step towards modern algebra, thanks to its innovative use of letters as parameters in the equations.

        Fourier (52 km). With the exception of the north-west outer edge,it is strongly eroded.
Fourier B (11 km), asatellite crater, lies along the eastern edge. The inner wall is big. The interior is less than half the diameter of the crater rim.
    The crater was named after Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (March 21 1768 - 16 May 1830), which was a French mathematician and physicist best known for heat transfer problems and vibration.

        Cavendish (56 km), small craters are between Henry (41 km) north-west and Gasparis (30 km) east-southeast.
Crater rim is strongly affected. Cavendish E (24 km), lies on the south-west. Cavendish A (10 km), is lower on the north-est.A"rivulet" of Gasparis reach the eastern edge of Cavendish.
    The crater was named after Henry Cavendish (10 October 1731-24 Feb 1810) which was a British scientist noted for his discovery of hydrogen or what he called "inflammable air."

        Mersenius (84 km), is a lunar crater that is located west of Mare Humorum, in the south-west of the Moon. To the south-west of the crater is Mersenius is Cavendish, and south-east Liebig (37 km). Mersenius is 84 kilometers in diameter and 2.3 kilometers deep. It dates from Nectarian age  3.92 - 3.85 billion years ago.
    The crater is named after the French philosopher and physicist Marin Mersenne who lived in the 17th century.

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