EARTHSHINE OBSERVATION

FLASH DETECTED IN GLOWING PATCH

26 DECEMBER 1984

By

David O. Darling

It was Christmas day and the sky was clear and very cold, the temperature was 10º Fahrenheit . I decided to brave the cold and observe the crescent Moon was 3.54 days old and was only 10º above the western horizon. I started the observing session by examining the Agarum Promontory region and the Mare Crisium basin. I then move into the Earthshine region and found I could see several glowing craters.

These craters were Aristarchus, Vallis Schroeder, Copernicus, Menelaus, Manilius and two small craters near the crater Delambre. I could also see that one of the rays of Tycho was glowing bright blue as well. Upon closer examination I found that all the craters were glowing bright blue in comparison to the dark background of the Earthshine. While I was examining the crater Delambre I saw a bright flash in one of the glowing patches.

UT Date:  26 December 1984.

Time of Observation:  00:30 UT

Name of Formations:  Aristarchus, Manilius, Menelaus, Copernicus, Vallis Schroeder, Patches near Delambre, and Ray of Tycho.

Age of Moon: 3.54 days.

Altitude of Moon: 10 degrees.

Color & Variations: Bright blue, flash witness inside glowing patch near Delambre.

Brightness of Phenomena: No estimate made.

Observer Location: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S.A. 53590, Latitude: 43.186 N. by Longitude 89.220 W.

Name of Observer: David O. Darling

Experience of Observers: Observing for 21 years, have been studying the Moon for L.T.P. for 5 years.

Seeing Conditions: Scale 1 to 10 with 10 being the best. Say it was 3. Was some bad seeing.

Transparency (Faintest Magnitude with eye): 4th magnitude, located in city do not have dark skies.

Telescope Used: 12.5 F5 Newtonian Cave Reflector with a 25mm eyepiece.

Rendition of Crescent Moon as it appeared the night of the observation. Made using the Reading Information Technology Inc. (RITI) Moon Map Program

SOLAR TERRESTRIAL ACTIVITY REPORT

When examining the solar data I found a sharp increase in the Planetary A index just prior to the event, and a slight increase in the Solar flux.

Conclusion: The glowing patches on the Moon where the craters are located may be due the reflective nature of the material in these lunar formations. The flash that I saw in the small crater/patch located near Delambre did not repeat itself during the 20 minutes I was observing the Earthshine.