AST 195 PROJECT (Hybrid)
Lunar Observation – Quarter

Click here for cover sheet

In this project you are to observe the moon when it is at or near a Quarter phase. Note that while two different quarter (more or less) moons are shown as examples in the picture below, you only need to do one observation of the quarter moon.



You will need your red light and clipboard for this project, and your finder needs to be in decent alignment. Thus you must complete the “Telescope Purchasing”, “Basics A”, “Basics B”, and “Basic Observing Equipment” projects prior to attempting this project.

The following applies only to the first moon project that you do:

ü Click here for a video on finding the moon with your telescope. It will give you some extra information about the practical difficulties involved in finding the moon.

ü Make your own video showing you using your finder and telescope to find the moon. This video must be “live action”, including audio with your commentary (very important since you will be shooting video in the dark). Post your video to YouTube and e-mail the link to your professor.

Do the following for all moon projects:

ü Print out a copy of the “Near side of the Moon” map (click here)

ü Observe the moon with both high and low power eyepieces.

ü Use the “Your Guide to the Moon” (click here), the “Near side of the Moon” map (click here – note that this map can be enlarged a lot – and its orientation is different from the “Guide to the Moon”), or similar lunar map to try to identify features on the moon. This is not easy for a beginner, so don’t think you are going to be able to list 25 features that you have identified on the lunar surface. Keep in mind that the view in your telescope may be upside down or mirror-reversed (or both) compared to what you are expecting. For each feature, list its name, and circle it on the “Near side of the Moon” map.

ü Select 3 features that you did identify, and attempt to draw them as seen through the telescope (make your drawings on the drawing sheet which you can print out from the projects section of the class web page). You should draw the Moon as it appears in the eyepiece -- the large circle on the drawing sheet will be the field of view of the eyepiece, so your drawings of the Moon should fill as much of the circle as the Moon fills of your eyepiece (do not use the circle on the drawing sheet to be the edge of the Moon). Make your drawing while you are at the eyepiece, prior to taking photos.

ü Take photos of the moon with your camera, through both the high and low power eyepieces.

ü For each of the three features you drew, look up information on it, and write a paragraph describing what it is.

ü Write a paragraph discussing what problems you experienced in this project, and what successes you experienced.

ü Discuss what you learned from this observing project.

Turn in

§ Your video link via e-mail (first moon project only)

§ Your list of identified features (typed) and your “Near side of the Moon” map with the features circled.

§ Your drawings of three features with accompanying data

§ Printouts of the high and low power photos (labelled appropriately)

§ Your three paragraphs on the three features (typed)

§ Your problems/successes paragraph (typed)

§ You “what I learned” paragraph (typed)