Like most good, faithful and loyal deep sky Zombies, I hate the Moon. About the only positive thing I can say about it, as a deep sky enthusiast, is that the Moon gives me a chance to catch up on my sleep. After all, how do you "deep" observe an object that by its very nature ruins your night adaptation for an entire evening? Moreover, why bother observing the Moon since "everybody" has seen it!
However, recently, I decided to draw a few of the objects for the AAC's Visual Impressions Program sponsored by club member Rich Jakiel. Prominent on the list was the bane of all children of the night, the Moon. If you thought I was a little miffed by that addition, you've figured me out. I don't know who first thought up the slogan "Nuke the Moon," but his sentiments capture my attitude exactly.
How and where? I certainly didn't want to make a production of this drawing. After
all, my drawing skills are at best rudimentary (ask Jane, . she just smiles). Moreover, I
really didn't relish the idea of dragging out my own dobsonian just to draw the moon.
However, I thought the obvious answer to that problem would be to make a quick trip out
to Villa Rica and use the observatory's 20inch Newtonian for just enough time to dash
out a quick drawing. I mean, how long could drawing a small area, the region of the
Triesnecker crater, take. The Moon is not that far away and its features are very clearly
illuminated. Shouldn't be a problem at all. 15 minutes, tops. Right?
Well, maybe I was bit premature in my assessment of the situation. In truth, the task turned out to be a bit more difficult than I had anticipated.
No doubt, you'll agree with me that locating the Moon is not a big deal. Locating the Triesnecker region turned out to be something altogether different. After all, here I was under a nearly full Moon; the whole region should be illuminated. Well, I got that part of it right anyway. The whole Triesnecker region was illuminated. However, as I was to discover to my chagrin, when the Moon is fully illuminated, its features lose contrast and the smaller details are lost. Try observing an area of the Moon at quarter illumination and then at full illumination and you'll see how much difference there is in their appearance. However, undaunted, I pressed on, finally locating the Triesnecker region at a moderate magnification (By the way, I recommend you beg, borrow or "steal" a good atlas of the Moon in order to tackle this project. Kalmbach Publishers, publishers of Astronomy Magazine, is now carrying the excellent "Atlas of the Moon" by Anotn¡n Rukl. If you should decide to buy your own copy, order it through the club for a 10% price break). In order to see any possible details, I had to go to my highest power, 572X. Guess what? I had to find the Triesnecker all over again, but admittedly, I was starting to get comfortable with the Moon (and NIGHTBLIND!), so it didn't take nearly as much time as previously. Nevertheless, it took me a good 30 minutes to finally zero in on the Triesnecker region at high power. So much for a quick dash out to Villa Rica! I could already tell this was going to take far longer than I had imagined. As I was drawing the Triesnecker region, I also discovered that the 20" didn't accurately track the Moon. Oh, it was close, but I continually needed to use the photo-guide control pad to fine adjust my field of view before the Triesnecker region drifted out of view. My tracking difficulties were not the fault of the telescope. Rather, I'd forgotten to consider that the Moon is moving against the sky at a different rate than the stars which the telescope has been designed to track.
I guess I was as successful as can be expected for a first attempt at drawing the Moon, although it did take over 2 1/2 hours to do my "quick" drawing. More importantly, in the process I gained a new respect for those who "just" observe the Moon. Mind you, I'm still a Zombie at heart. However, now I've added another possibility for observing projects if I want to give up any thought of ever sleeping or spending time with my wife! I've also gained additional respect for what can be done with the club's 20" Newtonian at Villa Rica.
Who will be next to take up the challenge of observing and drawing the Moon at Villa
Rica? You may yet find me there under the light of a full Moon, once again ferreting out
obscure craters, rills and valleys. I hope to see you there! Clear Skies!