Explore the Moon (Binocular) - June 5, 2017

Lunar Phase: Waxing Gibbous (89.2%)

Moonset: 5:39 AM CDT            Moonrise: 7:02 PM CDT
Sunrise: 7:32 AM CDT             Sunset: 10:39 PM CDT

Location: Sandy Beach Campground, Iowa (near Cedar Rapids)
Date: 2017-06-05
Time: 10:14 PM CDT
Equipment: Binoculars 15x70 + 10x30 IS
Magnification: x15 + x10
Transparency: very good (4)
Seeing: very good (4)
Temperature: 16° C

Very clear skies, no cloud. Amazing night! We had frozen the night before in the Rocky Mountains but on this evening we wore shorts and t-shirts to watch the night skies evolve. Set up our camp chairs next to the tent in the open field and enjoyed watching the Moon rise. Earth's Shadow and the Belt of Venus were bonuses. The fireflies in the field’s hedging that spread before us and along the river's edge twinkled like mini-Christmas lights. 

 

Craters:
Aristarchus, Clavius, Gassendi (showed as a lit protuberance 2/3 down the terminator), Kepler, Plato, Schiller, Sharp (on edge of Montes Jura), Tycho, large crater on NW edge unidentified,

Mare: Crisium, Fecunditatis, Frigoris, Humorum, Nectaris, Nubium, Oceanus Procellarum, Serenitatis, Tranquilitatis

Sinus: Aestuum, Iridum (NW edge showed well-lit Montes Jura), Medii

Montes:
Jura: well-illuminated as was Sinus Iridum.
Promontorium Laplace and Promontorium Heraclides: Had to look up the names of the 2 promontories; they were well lit and were quite striking.

 

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