A magical night in the Swedish mountains. It started as a green glow in the north that developed into an arc that then increased in strength and went higher in the sky, finally to the zenith with curving green waves of light. The green glow flashed across the entire sky as if the atmosphere was shaking.
The dark spots you see on the moon are actually giant, solidified lava fields called maria. These were formed billions of years ago when huge amounts of liquid lava gushed out of the moon's interior and filled large craters after meteorite impacts.
Composition: The fields are mainly composed of basalt, a dark, iron-rich volcanic rock similar to that found on the ocean floor here on Earth.
Volcanic activity: It was long thought that volcanism on the moon died out billions of years ago, but new analyses of lunar samples suggest that there may have been active volcanoes as recently as 120 million years ago.
Lava tubes: Beneath the surface are hollow lava tunnels, or lava tubes. These giant caverns are considered ideal locations for future lunar bases because they protect against radiation and extreme temperatures.
Asymmetry: There are significantly more and larger lava fields on the side of the moon that faces Earth than on the far side, which is because the crust is thinner on the front side.
Today's full moon, called a worm moon, photographed with a telescope and several images stitched together into one image.
At a full moon, the sun illuminates the lunar surface directly from the front, which hides shadows and makes it more difficult to distinguish topographical details such as craters and mountain walls. The use of HDR photography (High Dynamic Range) and stacking (combining many images) is therefore crucial to highlight geological contrasts and mineral variations that are otherwise lost in the bright light.
Geological details at a full moon
Beam systems: At a full moon, bright beam systems appear most clearly, for example from the crater Copernicus. These consist of material (ejecta) that was thrown out during a meteorite impact.
Albedo and minerals: The contrast between the light, calcium-rich highlands (anorthosite) and the dark, iron-rich oceans (basaltic maria) becomes extremely clear. By saturating the colors in an HDR image (so-called "Mineral Moon"), chemical differences in the soil can be visualized.
Bright Craters: Craters with high albedo, such as Aristarchus, shine brightly and can even be seen with the naked eye.
The full moon is slowly rising in the sky, well, almost full, 99% behind a tree with a blackbird sitting at the top.
Tomorrow, 3/3, a total lunar eclipse will occur. The eclipse will be completely visible over northeastern and northwestern North America and the central Pacific Ocean and will be visible rising over large parts of Asia and Australia and setting over North and South America, unfortunately not from Sweden.
A quick visit to the Carpe Noctem Observatory tonight. It cleared up and I managed to take a quick photo of the moon before fog clouds ruined the session.
The picture shows beautiful mountain ranges on the right side of the Mare Imbrium lava field.
The top mountain range is the Montes Alpes, one of the most distinctive mountain ranges on the moon, located between Mare Imbrium and Mare Frigoris. It stretches for about 250 km and is best known for being literally split in half by an enormous valley.
Important peaks and landmarks
Mont Blanc: The highest point of the mountain range, located on the eastern side, with an altitude of about 3,600 meters. The name is taken from the highest mountain on Earth in the European Alps.
Vallat Alpes (Alpine Valley): The most spectacular formation in the area. It is a straight, 166 km long and about 10 km wide trough that cuts straight through the chain. It is a favorite for amateur astronomers to observe.
Promontory Agassiz: A headland at the southern end of the chain, rising about 2,300 meters.
Below the Alps and the Caucasus Mountains" most often refers to the lunar mountain range named after the Caucasus Mountains on Earth. These mountains lie on the northern part of the lunar far side and form a boundary between Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis.
Peaks of the Lunar Montes Caucasus
Unlike Earth's mountain ranges, most individual peaks in the lunar Montes Caucasus do not have official names.
Highest peak: The highest point reaches an elevation of about 6,000 meters (19,000–20,000 ft) above the surrounding lunar surface.
Geographical location: The mountain range extends for about 445 km and is located near prominent craters such as Aristillus, Autolycus, and Calippus.
Below lies the beautiful Montes Apenninus mountain range, the most impressive mountain range on the lunar far side. It extends for about 600–950 km and forms the southeastern rim of the giant impact hole Mare Imbrium.
The Most Prominent Peaks
Here are the highest and most famous named peaks in order from north to south:
Mons Hadley: A massive peak at the northern end of the range, with an elevation of about 4,500–4,800 meters.
Mons Hadley Delta: Located south of Mons Hadley and is about 3,500–3,600 meters high. The valley between these two mountains was the landing site of Apollo 15 in 1971.
Mons Bradley: Located further south with an elevation of about 4,200 meters.
Mons Huygens: The highest peak of the range (and often considered the moon's) rising about 5,300–5,500 meters above the surrounding plains.
Mons Ampère: A peak west of Mons Huygens with an elevation of about 3,000 meters.
Mons Wolff: Marks the southwestern end of the range near the crater Eratosthenes and reaches about 3,500 meters
Fluorescent lichens and moss on a pine tree by illuminating with UV light.
Lichens on trees are usually completely harmless and are not a sign of disease. They only use the tree as a foothold and do not take nutrition from it. The lichens indicate clean air and serve as homes for insects, which attracts small birds.
Key facts about lichens on trees:
No harm: Lichens do not penetrate the bark, do not cause rot and do not harm the growth of the tree.
Epiphytes: They grow as so-called epiphytes, mainly on older trees, and get nutrition from water and air.
Air quality: Abundant occurrence of lichens is a sign of a good air environment.
Common types: Examples are leaf lichens such as lung lichen, beard lichen and crust lichen.
Ecological benefit: Lichens provide habitat for small animals, which benefits bird life.
A cold, colorful afternoon in Vallentuna, Sweden. In the sky, a thin crescent moon with earthshine is visible, and to the left of the moon, the planet Saturn, and to the lower right, the planet Mercury.
Earthshine is an astronomical phenomenon in which sunlight is reflected from the Earth onto the dark night side of the moon, making the entire lunar disk faintly visible even when only a thin crescent is directly illuminated by the sun.
Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and the one closest to the sun. It is a rocky, so-called terrestrial planet with a surface filled with craters, which makes it very reminiscent of our moon.
Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system and is best known for its spectacular and complex ring system. It is a gas giant that consists mainly of hydrogen and helium.
Earlier this year the moon passed in front of the sun and a partial solar eclipse occured. This was the view through the telescope, a closer look at the moons limb and the sun in Ha and an active area at the sun is visible.
Amazing view when the moon covered some part of the sun through Ha solar filter.
