Talk:Lunar observation

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Some suggested topics:

• Differences in feature appearance depending on the angle of the Sun.
• Using shadows to measure the height of features.
• Lunar occultations and eclipses.
• The brightest features by albedo.
• Transient lunar phenomenon.
• An observational history of selenography. Observation of the SMART-1 collision. Leon Stuart's 1953 image.[1]
• Libration and the observation of the "far side" features.

Thanks. — RJH (talk) 21:19, 16 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• • RJH, I believe with the mention of viewing the full phases I have covered differences due to angle of the Sun, however if you feel the need, go ahead and add anything that will strenthen this article. the Commander (talk)CommanderSoloho 21:59, 27 November 2006 (UTC).[reply]

I have added a pretty comprehensive Transient Lunar Phenomena section--Pico del Teide (talk) 11:13, 17 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I added this as the main page for the section "Observation of the Moon" at Moon. Hopefully this will get some people interested in adding to this topic. Lunokhod 12:50, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. CommanderSoloho 21:59, 27 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think that there should be some mention of what one can actually see on the Moon. There are a few pages having lists of lunar features; this might be a good place to start. Lunokhod 13:06, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Some links could be added, aye. On a sidenote, we need to get more people involved.CommanderSoloho 22:00, 27 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think there should be more detail on how to observe the Moon with the naked eye and binoculars. For instance, with the naked eye you could have lists of features visible, and about lunar illusions such as the so-called

Okay, I can't say I completely agree with this statement. I seem to get better results with medium or low magnification, and viewing the moon through binoculars can also be an enjoyable experience. But it depends on what you are trying to do. 280x will narrow down the view to nearly the limit of resolution and will make guidance more difficult. But that's just my personal opinion, of course. :-) — RJH (talk) 16:52, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It depends what the seeing (how much turbulent atmosphere is between you and the Moon) like at the time is there is lots of turbulence, it is not advisable to use high powers of magnification, because you will be able to see much more detail at low to mid power. — RJH (talk) 16:52, 18 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, I can't say this is the best article yet, however it will get better. Sorry for all the trouble with this. Once again, if anyone wants, feel free to add, modify, etc. I am no expert, but this will be a better article with everyone's help. CommanderSoloho 19:21, 17 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I simply have no other information I can add to this that I readily know. More people need to be involved here than just me. Personally, I think this project (sorry for the expression) is going to hell in a handbasket. unsigned

This section should be removed. It is not encyclopedic, and in its spirit goes against section 4) under

I have changed this article to a stub, so please feel free to contribute to it. While I agree that we should not be too detailed in this section, I think that useful information concerning the use of filters, what magnifications are best to view certain features, etc., could be appropriate. Lunokhod 19:09, 3 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The article states: "During a full moon, rays of sunlight are hitting the visible portion of the moon perpendicular to the surface." This is not possible on a curved surface. Someone should fix this, but since I do not know to what. 71.102.144.27 06:27, 4 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What it means is perpendicular to the tangent of any point on the surface.The2crowrox (talk) 00:31, 17 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If that's what it means, it is also false. During a full moon, the entire illuminated hemisphere of the moon is visible from earth, and as a matter of simple geometry most of the sun's rays are hitting it obliquely, just as most of the rays hitting the earth are hitting it obliquely, e.g. in high latitudes, or in areas approaching sunset. Compared with e.g. a crescent moon the full moon appears brighter, because (a) we cannot see any shadows, and (b) where the sun's rays are striking the surface obliquely, the attenuation of the light is offset by the fact that we are seeing more of the illuminated surface within each angular unit of our field of vision.109.150.72.105 (talk) 19:38, 15 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

A report about an inappropriate redirect got me to look around, and I found two references to children's activities involving noticing the moon during the daytime. The activities referenced between able to note the phase of the moon with the angle made with the sun. I came here and noticed no mention of observing the moon during the daytime. After adding that, could someone redirect daymoon to here? Shenme 21:18, 14 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Observing the Moon during the day is possible, but it is very hard to see any major features because the Sun's brightness obscures all but the major "seas" or Maria, which can be seen with the naked eye.--Pico del Teide (talk) 11:11, 17 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have nominated this article for the Wikipedia:WikiProject Space/Collaboration. I feel this would help get this article up to at least a B class, and would encourage more people to get involved here.--Pico del Teide (talk) 16:19, 18 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The article talks about occultation, but there is no mention of

If I know the latitude and longitude of Portland, Oregon, and if I know the latitude and longitude of Mt. Hood, what formula do I use to calculate when the moon appears to be rising up from behind Mt. Hood?

Similarly, I recently observed that Mt. Hood can be observed quite easily from the Stonehenge replica at Maryhill, Washington. Naturally, the visibility is better if the weather is clear. For that location, it is sufficient to note that the Latitude is 45 degrees 41 minutes 8 seconds North, and the Longitude is 120 degrees 49 minutes, 2 seconds West. From that vantage point, does the Moon ever rise and set from behind Mt. Hood? And if it does, do any of the stones of the Stonehenge replica block/enable its view?

If I know the time that this happens, how long until it happens again? Does it vary, year by year?

The main article could be improved considerably by listing the formula for calculating moonrise, as I will bet it varies from place to place around the earth according to the latitude and longitude of the observer. 216.99.198.158 (talk) 07:15, 11 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If an observer looks at the Moon from within the Arctic Circle, is either its moonrise or moonset the same as that would be the case if the observer were on the equator? Is the period between moonrises and moonsets always roughly four weeks?

The main article doesn't explain the periodicity of the lunar cycle very well. The main article could be improved if there were an explanation of the lunar ecliptic as it relates to the latitude of the observer. Some pictures would also be very helpful. 216.99.201.60 (talk) 18:27, 11 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"When" is extremely important. Will everyone who's interested in the moon know when and where to look? How many people realize that a new moon is almost next to the sun and can only be seen at sunset, or that the full moon is opposite the sun? Someone write this section soon. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.14.189.78 (talk) 23:03, 1 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]