Your Astronomy Now

Lunar observation or moon watching is the business of professional astronomers and the avocation of amateur sleuths of the heavens worldwide.

The moon, earth’s natural satellite, is but one fiftieth the size of our planet and completes it’s earthly orbit every 27.3 days. If you’re fascinated by the mysteries of space, the relationship of our planet to the stars and the universe, there is no better place to start than lunar observation.

Did you know that primarily due to the impact of gravity and its accompanying centrifugal forces, there is a yearly increase in the physical distance between the earth and the moon ?

That means that at some point, there will be an end to earth-moon tidal effects, and at that point the moon will experience a stabilization in it’s orbital relationship to the earth. So, for professional and amateur astronomers alike, there is no better time to watch and learn about the moon than now! You can join professional astronomers and watch the moon from the comfort of home today.

If you are one of countless amateur astronomers glued to a back yard telescope or just doing a bit of lunar watching with the naked eye, here’s a few:

Lunar Watching Tips

• The best time to see the moon is during the 1st quarter. The detail visible to lunar watchers offers more clarity and detail at this time than any other.

• If you are lunar watching with the naked eye, be sure to look for the seas, plains, some craters and earthshine, a glow of light on the night side of the moon, which may be clearly visible.

• If you are watching with binoculars, you are sure to get a good wide field to see many areas of the moon. Try using a tripod for an even better visual field with added clarity.

• If you are using a telescope, more detail will be available to you than through the naked eye or binoculars. With an increase in aperture, your telescope will reveal more of the details of the moon. Try to do your lunar watching on a clear night using a filter to cut down on excess light, which will diminish the quality of your lunar watching, to assure the best results.

Astronomers are always seeking to track data with graphs to keep track of trends and stars in a quest to track happenings in the universe.

The more complex and costly telescopes are perhaps the only true tools for watching the moon and learning about the mysteries hidden in the heart of space and time.

To get an accurate and clear picture of the moon many astronomers are now using multiple telescopes, all in unison, to assure the best resolution possible when they are engaged in lunar watching. Great precision is required in the telescopes used by astronomers to get the best visual data possible for research and discovery.

Today, computers control vast arrays of telescopes as the quest for more accurate data, better resolution and a clear picture of the moon and it’s hidden secrets begin to reveal themselves to the masters of astronomy.