11 replies to this topic

[William Lewis]

I've really enjoyed seeing this tonight. A very straight feature even with reasonably good seeing. It becomes visible from around 60x magnification leaving mare vaporum and heading off into the sea of tranquility.

It reminds me of a direct road cut through the landscape. Starting on level ground in vaporum then channeling through the ridge line that separates the two mares before shaving the edges off 5 hills as it enters into tranquility before finishing just before a 6th range of higher ground. The shadow play as it clips off the edges of some of the hills south sides and other ones northern slopes can be what initially draws the eye before a closer look reveals more of its direct route across the lunar surface and it's affect on its older geology.

[John Bali]

William,

 

I agree with you! Made this sketch of the area on May 3rd. 

 

 

Regards, 

 

John

 

[quilty]

Me too, for the first time. Strange so, straight and flat two nights ago. Next night it wasn't gone but dim. Triesnecker was right SE of it

And there was another straight line above the above, no rima but formed by different landscapes including crater walls all in all forming a straight line parallel to the above. (imagine a house, a road, a car, a factory, a park in a row all them share a common outline thus building a single straight line)
Pity that I couldn't image. Sometimes I wish I could.

Edited by quilty, 05 June 2025 - 07:54 AM.

[William Lewis]

That's a lovely sketch John, made a few hours before I was observing it in terms of the lunar Terminator, what type of paper and pastels/pencils were you using?

Yes quilty I agree I'd love to be able to take a photo of some of my observations, maybe to help make a sketch from later.

The last couple of nights haven't been good for observing and unfortunately due to the proximity to the great lunar standstill the latter phases of the moons cycle become increasingly lower in the sky although this does have advantages in terms of other objects to observe.

I still find it a great way to end the day by taking a trip out of my suburban back garden and out into space.

[John Bali]

Glad you like the sketch.  It is on black Strathmore paper.  Then I shade it with white charcoal to a light gray.  Black, white and gray charcoal pencils used. As  I work blending stumps are used. Sketching is fun and rewarding. It trains you to be a better observer, to see detail and subtleties that a few minutes viewing cannot provide.

 

John

[quilty]

That's what I found elsewhere:

sketching trains observing. While fotographing trains imagination.

you start with black paper? Black, grey and white charcoal pencils only?

I wish sketching was fun to me, too. Surely I did better

[John Bali]

Yes just those materials. For the above sketch a drawing is made on white paper with a pencil at the eyepiece along with lots of notes, Final sketch indoors later.

 

John

[scottinash]

Good thread, William.  Wonderful sketch, John!  

 

You may have seen this already, but the Apollo 10 flyover image of Rima Ariadaeus is pretty amazing to view. Be sure to click into the higher resolution version.

 

[flt158]

So there are buses and coaches being driven on the Moon. 

Those straight lines remind me of these. 

 

No! I'm only joking. 

You can tell what mood I'm in. Giddy! 

 

I have adored looking at these lunar rilles (Rimae Ariadaeus, Rima Hyginus and Rimae Triesnecker) for a number of years with my apochromatic refractor.  

I would recommend anybody to study these while they observe them. 

 

Clear skies from Aubrey. 

[William Lewis]

Scottinash that image from apollo is amazing!

[PKDfan]

I found rima Ariadaeus both remarkably easy to detect and several days afterwards its nearly impossible, if not totally impossible.

A strange dichotomy with how wide it is.

Contrast really is everything.


CSS
Lance

[quilty]

My experience, too. That's why I assumed it must be quite flat. Huge diff just one day later