Telescope Reviews: Lunation 1038

We have attempted at least a few times, here in the Lunar Observing Forum, to hold coordinated observing sessions based on a particular day of the lunar cycle or a specific lunar region or feature. Because so many of us are clouded out, or crowded out by schedule conflicts, on any given day these observing sessions have never really gotten off the ground. So we're going to try a different approach for Lunation 1038, which begins following today's New Moon.

For the duration of this lunation - and for as long afterward as seems relevent - this thread will be open for the posting of observing reports, images, sketches, and responses to those reports. Reports of observations can be as simple as when you first (or last) glimpse a crescent Moon, or as elaborate as a detailed description of what shows up especially well along the terminator the night you observe. Write it in whatever posting style suits you. This is not a contest and there will be no judgements passed. If you thought Copernicus looked really cool and that's all you have to say, that's your report. If the Moon inspires poetry or you want to simply list features you identified, that's fine. But best of all, if you can place the features you observe in a geologic context, we will all learn something. So consider doing a bit of homework along the way, and sharing what you dig up. Whatever works for your style of observing, so long as you observe and post a report.

We do ask that, however you make a report, start out by listing the gear you used (telescope size and type, eyepieces and magnifications, filters, etc.), the seeing conditions you encountered, the time of the observation and the date, and where it was on this good Earth from which you made the observation.

Images and sketches are welcome additions to this project. If they accompany a report it might be a good idea to post them in the Member's Gallery and include a link to them in your report, but so long as they fit our image posting guidelines (need to be kind to those of us - like me! - who are using dial up) images and sketches may be included in the post directly. For images and sketches, give us some information on the type of equipment and technique you employed in addition to the information requested above, but please don't make your report about the image. Use the image to illustrate your report, or allow the image to speak for itself - something the best of them do so very well. And should you also post such pictures in their respective specialty fora for discussion with the experts there, please include a link to that discussion in your observation report so interested parties can easily follow up on the matter.

The hope here is that by casting a month-wide net, somehow between the bunch of us we'll pull together enough material to create a thread worth adding to the "Best of the Lunie Bin," from which future members can access it and learn something about lunar observing. If we do this right, it might even inspire others to turn their telescopes and binoculars toward the Moon.

And if it works really well, we'll do it again!

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Tom W.

SVP8 'She turned me into a 3-legged Newt' EQ
Ralph, the All-Purpose 102mm Refractor
Under the Desert Stars

"If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going." Professor Irwin Corey