Happy Birthday Apollo 11 - Craterlet Challenge

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BobSikes
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Happy Birthday Apollo 11 - Craterlet Challenge

Unread post by BobSikes »

Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 launched and headed off for an 8 day cruise ... to and from the Sea of Tranquility.

In commemoration of this launch and Neil Armstrong's "Small steps for Man", Dan Silva suggested a fine project for the month. Find the Sea of Tranquility and bounce your best green laser off the reflector that the crew left on the surface. Image the returning flash and Fava beans for you!

Ok. Just kidding. :) His real suggestion was to locate three craters - Armstrong, Collins and [xAldrichx] Aldrin, that lie near the Apollo 11 landing site. Bet you know who the craters are named for, and if not -- Google them.

For more details and a Crater-Hop to help you find them check out my web-page.

http://home.comcast.net/~sikesassne101/ ... ly%202009/

Hopefully Dan can provide us with a bit more information about this historic bit of the moon.
Last edited by BobSikes on Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
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WCGucfa
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Unread post by WCGucfa »

What a great challenge! Thanks Dan and Bob! :D

Bill
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Galactus
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Re: Happy Birthday Apollo 11 - Craterlet Challenge

Unread post by Galactus »

BobSikes wrote:...Ok. Just kidding. :) His real suggestion was to locate three craters - Armstrong, Collins and Aldrich, that lie near the Apollo 11 landing site. Bet you know who the craters are named for, and if not -- Google them.
Bob--if I may be a tad impertinent (God knows I am :lol:) and suggest that crater "Aldrich" should be "Aldrin," after Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, the second man to step onto the moon. I knew an Eddie Aldrich as a child--a kid from Pawtucket who summered down the street from my family (we lived there year-round) and who would call for me under my bedroom window every summer morning: "Geooo-uh-ge" (I never understood why city kids did this, couldn't they knock on a door?).

I never heard what happened to Eddie Aldrich, but I'm pretty sure he didn't get a lunar crater named after him. We wouldn't want to google the wrong guys... :twisted: :lol: :twisted: 8) :shock: 8) :roll: :lol:
Last edited by Galactus on Sun Jul 19, 2009 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BobSikes
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Spellin chalenged

Unread post by BobSikes »

Doah!
:shock:
Thanks George
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BobSikes
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Armstrong in a Mak

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  • Date: July 28, 2009
    Observed from about 1900 EDT to 2100 EDT
    Equipment Celestron 105mm f/5 refractor and 8mm plossl then ETX 90 Mak-Cas with 8mm Ultrawide eyepiece
    Conditions – clear except for some haze and occasional high clouds.
    Seeing is Good.
A slow start trying to find craters Sabine and Ritter on the western edge of the Sea of Tranquility. My chart was the reflector upside-down and backwards vs. right side up but backwards. I was able to find Sabine and Ritter (30 km) in the refractor but the much smaller (5 km) Armstrong needed more mag. So I switched to my dear old ETX90 and wow! So sharp.

But orientation was still tough and I needed more detail, so I got my laptop and Virtual Moon so that I could match the views. This helped a lot. I instantly found Torricellic (11 km) and then Moltke (7km) to the east, both very easy to see in my little scope. Also a nice tiny (and unlabeled) crater about 50km north of Torricellic with a comet like tail stretching south for 10km or so. I could also easily see Arago B and Ritter D NE of Ritter, both are 7km in diameter.

But no Armstrong at first. But by watching carefully, when the seeing went solid Armstrong would pop in as a small crater, similar in diameter as Moltke, circular but not at all distinct. The edge was not sharp like the other craters. I think the angle of light was the problem. Probably this crater was sharper yesterday … except for the clouds here.

No hint of Collins or Aldrin. Next time I’ll try my new larger diameter scope and monster mount. These will be good first light test.

BobS
Last edited by BobSikes on Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:52 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Galactus
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Unread post by Galactus »

Wow! Very impressive, Bob! :shock: :wink: Really good report. I hope to try this with my 8", but the moon is too far west for my position after dark--trees. Usually,I consider thisa good thing for viewing faint fuzzies... Irony laughs her slow chuckle... :wink:
Galactus, Devourer of Worlds
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Bruce D
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Unread post by Bruce D »

Bob S wrote
Next time I’ll try my new larger diameter scope and monster mount
Ummm... Bob you didn't really think you could just let that slide by did you? Is there something you want to tell us :?:
Bruce D
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James T Kirk
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Unread post by James T Kirk »

bruce d wrote:Bob S wrote
Next time I’ll try my new larger diameter scope and monster mount
Ummm... Bob you didn't really think you could just let that slide by did you? Is there something you want to tell us :?:
What did you get what did you get what did you get :?:
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Bruce D
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Unread post by Bruce D »

LOL I might as well put my astro gear in storage, at the rate people are getting new stuff there'll be no observing until Thanksgiving :!:
Bruce D
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Rotorhead
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Unread post by Rotorhead »

I understand all about new gear and rainy skies, but how come the guy with the new gear gets to see the moon and down here we were still in the clouds??? Checked the sky just after sunset and around 8:40, looking for the Shuttle/ISS pass, and there was nothing but dark clouds.

So Bob, you rainmaker, what the heck did you buy??? :P
Bob M
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