Lunar Observing Schedule for: France - Picdumidi



Produced by the Department of Physics at Aberystwyth University, UK
Ill is percentage illumination of the Moon


2018-Sep-03 UT 03:14-04:00 Ill=50% Montes_Spitzbergen

     ALPO Request: please image or sketch the area to the east and 
     north west of this group of mountains. We are attempting to 
     study some wrinkle ridges here, and in particular trying to 
     see if there is a very low lying (previously unknown) valley 
     in the mare here. Any visual descriptions, sketches or images 
     of Earthshine should be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k


2018-Sep-03 UT 01:57-04:58 Ill=49% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-04 UT 01:23-04:59 Ill=38% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-05 UT 02:18-05:01 Ill=27% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-06 UT 03:21-05:02 Ill=17% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-07 UT 04:29-05:03 Ill=9% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-08 UT 03:43-05:09 Ill=3% Moon

     BAA Request: Please try to image the Moon as a very thin 
     crescent, tryimg to detect Earthshine. A good telephoto lens 
     will do on a DSLR, or a camera on a small scope. We are 
     attempting to monitor the brightness of the edge of the 
     earthshine limb in order to follow up a project suggested by 
     Dr Martin Hoffmann at the 2017 EPSC Conference in Riga, 
     Latvia. This is quite a challenging project due to the sky 
     brightness and the low altitude of the Moon. Please be very 
     careful around sunrise so as not to be observing once the Sun 
     has risen. Do not bother observing if the sky conditions are 
     hazy. Any images should be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k


2018-Sep-10 UT 18:42-19:32 Ill=1% Moon

     BAA Request: Please try to image the Moon as a very thin 
     crescent, tryimg to detect Earthshine. A good telephoto lens 
     will do on a DSLR, or a camera on a small scope. We are 
     attempting to monitor the brightness of the edge of the 
     earthshine limb in order to follow up a project suggested by 
     Dr Martin Hoffmann at the 2017 EPSC Conference in Riga, 
     Latvia. This is quite a challenging project due to the sky 
     brightness and the low altitude of the Moon. Please do not 
     attempt if the Sun is still above the horizon. Do not bother 
     observing if the sky conditions are hazy. Any images 
     should be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k


2018-Sep-14 UT 18:40-18:55 Ill=29% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-15 UT 18:39-19:21 Ill=39% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-15 UT 19:59-20:01 Ill=39% Censorinus

     ALPO Request: The aim here is simply to see at what earliest 
     colongitude can you record with a colour camera, natural blue 
     color on the crater during sunrise. The effect can be quite 
     impressive. Try to get the exposure right else the crater will 
     be saturated white and you will not capture any colour. Please 
     send your images to: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k


2018-Sep-16 UT 18:37-19:52 Ill=48% Earthshine: sporadic meteors

     These can only be observed using low-light level cameras running at 25 frames per sec,
     or faster, and capable of recording 9th or 10th magnitude stars in real time.
     Dates/UTs of observing runs, or detections of impacts, should be emailed to:
     ALPO - email: c u d n i k @ s b c g l o b a l . n e t
     BAA - email: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k
     UAI - email: a m . 5 4 8 5 2 @ g m a i l . c o m


2018-Sep-16 UT 19:57-20:10 Ill=48% Descartes

     ALPO Request: On 2010 Apr 20 Ivan Bryukhanov observed an 
     orange-brown tint a little to the west of Zollner and Kant 
     craters. A refractor would be suitable for this, although any 
     sized scope larger than 4.5" aperture would suffice. Its 
     possible that this might have been related to the low 
     altitude of the Moon, therefore observing with the Moon down to 
     about 15-5deg above the horizon is acceptable for this to see if 
     we can replicate colour here. Please send any images, detailed 
     sketches, or visual descriptions to: a t c @ a b e r . a c. u k 


2018-Sep-17 UT 18:57-19:02 Ill=58% Archimedes

     BAA Request: Please image t or sketch this area, looking 
     especially for two bright points of light on the edge of the 
     termiator. A scope of at least 4" aperture is needed for this 
     observation. All images or sketches should be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c. u k 


2018-Sep-21 UT 18:16-23:06 Ill=90% Herodotus

     BAA Request: Some astronomers have occasionally reported seeing 
     a pseudo peak on the floor of this crater. However there is no 
     central peak! Please therefore image or sketch the floor, 
     looking for anything near the centre of the crater resembling 
     a light spot, or some highland emerging from the shadow. All 
     reports should be emailed to: a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k 


2018-Sep-21 UT 19:12-19:45 Ill=90% Alphonsus

     BAA Request: Monitor the central peak for brightness changes. Do 
     they change with atmospheric seeing conditions? Any brightness 
     measurements or image sequences made should be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c . u k


2018-Sep-22 UT 21:21-23:10 Ill=95% Briggs

     BAA Request: On 2010 Apr 27 Peter Grego noticed a craterlet 
     just to the east of Briggs (this is normal), but also an E-W 
     trending lineament or wrinkle ridge that does not show up on 
     NASA LAC charts - it is this we wish to confirm by re-
     observing under similar seleonographic colongitudes. An 8" or 
     larger telecope is required, Please send any high resolution 
     images, detailed sketches, or visual descriptions to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c. u k .


2018-Sep-24 UT 19:32-22:29 Ill=100% Full_Moon

     ALPO Request: Please take images of the Full Moon, but make 
     sure you under expose as we want to avoid bright ray craters 
     like Aristarchus, Tycho, Proclus etc from saturating. The 
     purpose behind this is we want to compare with images of 
     Earthshine which are essentially zero phase illumination 
     images, like at Full Moon. There have been reports in the past 
     that Aristarchus varies greatly in brightness compared to 
     other features. David Darling (a past TLP coordinator) has 
     suggested this was simply due to libration effects, i.e. 
     viewing angles, so we would naturally like to test this 
     theory out. Also if you have any past images of close to Full 
     Moon, please send these in too if the above mentioned craters 
     are not saturated. Pretty much any size telescope can be used 
     to take these images so long as we can clearly see the above 
     craters. Obviously do not attempt this if the sky is cloudy or 
     hazy. Observations will be presented in the "Lunar Observer" 
     - a monthly publication of the Lunar Section of ALPO. All 
     reports should be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c . uk


2018-Sep-26 UT 23:49-01:23 Ill=96% Aristarchus

     BAA Request: Do the appearance of the bands on the crater rim 
     vary (blur) in appearance over time? Compare them to bands in 
     other craters e.g. Herodotus, Kepler, Copernicus. If you do 
     see any variations in sharpness, see how it relates to 
     atmospheric seeing condtions. All images or sketches should 
     be emailed to: 
     a t c @ a b e r . a c. u k