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The Moon
The Moon dominates the night sky. Most of the time at least. It has been in our thoughts, and captured our curiosity and imagination since the dawn of our civilization. As far as amateur astronomers are concern, it provides us with plenty of observing opportunities, like eclipses (both Solar and Lunar), occultations (of stars, planets, etc.), each of which deserves section of its own. Our night companion is also beautiful to behold just as it is, and that will be the topic of the next paragraphs.
As the Earth goes round the Sun, our satellite revolves around the our planet. It takes roughly 27 days to do one orbit. As a result of that, it goes through different phases - New-Moon, First Quarter, Full-Moon and Third Quarter. It just so happens (actually, the Earth-Moon tidal interaction happens) that it takes the Moon the same amount of time, ~27 days, to spin around its axis. So that’s the reason we see only one side of our natural satellite. Well, a little bit more if we have to be precise.
How to observe
We can look directly at the Moon with no eye protection required (unlike with the Sun even though they both have the same angular diameter). And, as the brightest object (most of the time) on the night sky, it's a really good starting point for any beginner amateur astronomer and astrophotographer. Here we'll focus mainly on the observing part. Read more...
How to draw
At times when neither CCD cameras nor photo plates existed, people had to draw the instead of photograph. Nowadays this is very rare, but you could still do it if you have the enthusiasm and especially the patience for it. Read more...
How to photograph
The best way to capture the beauty of the Moon is by photographing it. There are various ways of doing that, each of which could reveal different aspect of the it, and each of which could produce astonishing results. Read more...
How to observe
We can look directly at the Moon with no eye protection required (unlike with the Sun even though they both have the same angular diameter). And, as the brightest object (most of the time) on the night sky, it's a really good starting point for any beginner amateur astronomer and astrophotographer. Here we'll focus mainly on the observing part. Read more...
How to draw
At times when neither CCD cameras nor photo plates existed, people had to draw the instead of photograph. Nowadays this is very rare, but you could still do it if you have the enthusiasm and especially the patience for it. Read more...
How to photograph
The best way to capture the beauty of the Moon is by photographing it. There are various ways of doing that, each of which could reveal different aspect of the it, and each of which could produce astonishing results. Read more...
