Tomorrow is International Observe the Moon Night! (Saturday September 14, 2024)

The Moon as seen  from Adelaide looking Northeast at 19:30 ACST, (astronomical twilight, 90 minutes after sunset) similar views will be seen for other parts of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes after sunset) . Click to embiggen. The insets show the telescopic view of Saturn at this time.

Saturday 14 September is  International Observe the Moon Night. An international initiative to get people out and observe our beautiful nearest neighbor. You don’t need much, just your unaided eyes, but even binoculars or a small telescope will greatly aid your appreciation of our Moon. 

This weekend the Moon is three days past first quarter and above the North-east horizon not far from the planet Saturn. It also forms another line with the bright stars Altair and Vega. All in all a lovely sight.

While not quite as good as Last Quarter, it is a good phase as the terminator, the light dark boundary on the Moons surface, is close to may interesting craters that are at their best at this sun angle.

A telescopic simulation of the appearance of the Moon at 19:30 ACST, (astronomical twilight, 90 minutes after sunset), several prominent craters are visible, particularly prominent are the Clavius and Logmontanus at the south pole (near the bottom) and Copernicus (two thirds of the way to the north/top). 

The prominent dark areas, the Sea of Tranquility, the sea of serenity and the sea of showers (which form the eyes and chin of  “the man in the Moon” are easily seen with the unaided eye.  Click to embiggen.

Even with modest binocular craters can be seen along the Moons terminator. A small telescope reveals a wealth of detail, and finding and focusing on the Moon is so much easier than any other class of astronomical object. You can use this map to identify the features you see (the map is upside down from our perspective). This interactive map will help you explore more.

You may wish to try some astrophotography with a mobile phone or a point and shoot camera. Follow the links for hints on imaging the Moon with these systems.

Even if you don’t have a telescope, just go out and look to the north-east (and the west, where Venus and Spica dominate the horizon, with Scorpius above), the view will be lovely. Around 19:40 you may even see a satellite or two pass over. If you don’t have a telescope, a local astronomical club may be having an  International Observe the Moon Night near you. Check out this map for locations.

So if the sky is clear, go out and have a look!

Cloud cover predictions can be found at SkippySky.

Here is the near-real time satellite view of the clouds (day and night) http://satview.bom.gov.au/