Tag: Aristarchus Plateau

An Evening Moon Erases Saturn, Seeing Stars Shoot, Max Mercury and Uranus, and Full Frost Final Supermoon!

The area around the small, bright crater Aristarchus (left of centre) in Oceanus Procellarum is one of the most colourful portions of the lunar surface. The large ragged ray systems at lower right surround the craters Copernicus and Kepler. (Rolf Hempel via Planetary.org) Hello, Mid-November Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of…
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The Evening Moon Warrants Looks, Planets Aplenty Through the Night, and Comet Olbers in Early Evening!

This Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image shows the major features of Mare Imbrium “the Sea of Rains”, including its eastern ring of mountain ranges, the dark crater Plato, the “islands” in the north, Archimedes, partially submerged ghost craters, and subtle wrinkles. NASA Hello, September Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of September 8th,…
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The Bright Buck Moon Hangs Low, Morning Mars Takes Aim at Uranus, and Sights for Moonlit Nights!

This image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the fascinating Aristarchus Plateau. The crater Aristarchus at lower right is very prominent, and can be seen even with unaided eyes as a very bright patch. To its left is the similar-sized, but darker crater Herodotus. Vallis Schröteri, the largest sinuous rille on the moon, starts…
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Moon Maps, Full Flower Moon Floods Night with Light, and Planets Prefer Predawn!

Hello, Mid-May Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of May 19th, 2024 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me your comments, questions, and suggested topics. You can also follow me on Twitter as @astrogeoguy! Unless otherwise noted, all times are expressed in Eastern Time.…
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Northern Spring Begins While the Waxing Evening Moon Somewhat Spoils Comet Views!

This Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image shows the major features of Mare Imbrium “he Sea of Rains”, including its eastern ring of mountain ranges,dark crater Plato, the “islands” in the north, Archimedes, and the subtle wrinkles. Other lunar maria are out of frame below the large crater Copernicus (botton centre). NASA Hello, Spring Stargazers! Here are…
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The Waxing Moon’s Worth Watching, Venus Cuddles Mars, and Bright Sights for Moonlit Nights!

This nice photo of the First Quarter moon was taken by Michael Watson of Toronto. Michael’s galleries of astro-images are hosted on his Flickr page. Hello, Late-June Stargazers! Here are your Astronomy Skylights for the week of June 25th, 2023 by Chris Vaughan. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and send me…
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Evening Luna Lights Up, Mars Buzzes the Beehive, Venus Peaks, and Planets Play at Dawn!

On Saturday, June 3, the full Strawberry Moon will rise at sunset. This simulation shows the moon at 10 pm local time. The bright reddish star to its upper right of the moon will be Antares, the “Rival of Mars” and the brightest star in Scorpius, the Scorpion. They’ll be cosy enough to share the…
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The Full Egg Moon Produces Passover and Easter, Major Venus and Mercury and Meagre Mars Shine in Evening, and Bright Stars Make Patterns!

This image taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the fascinating Aristarchus Plateau. The crater Aristarchus at lower right is very prominent, and can be seen even with unaided eyes as a very bright patch. To its left is the similar-sized, but darker crater Herodotus. Vallis Schröteri, the largest sinuous rille on the moon, starts…
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