Help Map The Moon
Explanation:
You can help map
the Moon.
Early tomorrow morning
(Saturday, September 12) the Moon will occult, or pass in front of,
the bright star
Aldebaran as viewed from some Southern and Eastern areas
of the U.S. as well as regions in the Caribbean Sea,
Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Mexico, and Central America.
Aldebaran will
disappear behind the bright edge of the third quarter
moon and
reappear behind the darkened edge.
Accurately timed home video camera recordings
from different locations
can be used to make improved maps of the height of the lunar terrain
at these occultation points.
Interested?
Follow
the instructions on the
International Occultation Timing Association HomePage
which detail how to tape a familiar TV channel,
take your running camcorder outside to record the occultation,
and then return to tape a few more minutes of the TV channel.
(First, determine if the occultation will be visible from your location!)
You can then donate your tape by mailing it to the address given.
Leave yourself plenty of time
for a practice run and be sure to check the weather
before going to a lot of trouble!
This mosaic
mapping the North polar region of the lunar surface was
constructed from images recorded by the Galileo spacecraft in 1992.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
