SYSTEMATIC SEARCH FOR LUNAR EVENTS
NOVEMBER 1965 to AUGUST 1968
From November 1965 to August 1968 the Corralitos Observatory operated by Northwestern University with NASA support, conducted an extensive search for Lunar Transient Phenomena. Dr. J. Allen Hynek of Northwestern University submitted a report to the 127th meeting of the American Astronomical Society which was held in Victoria, British Columbia. He reported that a three year systematic search was done under the direct supervision of Justus R. Dunlap. The program was conducted using a 24-inch Cassegrain reflector with an image-orthicon tube. The operator of the telescope sits in a room located below the telescope watching the Moon on a television screen. They place a three color filter wheel into the light path of the assembly which permits them to examine the Moon at successive wavelengths of 3900 angstroms (violet), 5500 (green), and 7000 (red). The observation window is six minutes of an arc square. The entire Moon could be covered in about 15 minutes. The camera resolution was 600 scan line so on good nights of seeing the resolution is about one second of arch. They also did a check on the visual inspection by photographing the television screen whenever the observer suspected that a lunar transient event was taking place. Dr. Hynek explained that they were using a system that was a double camera, in which the two images from the orthicon tubes each with its own filter would flash onto the screen giving the operator blink effect if an abnormal color effect was taking place. This system was further supported by a five inch refractor mounted piggy back with an infrared surveillance system covering wavelengths from 8500 to 10,400 angstroms. This was used to attempt to detect any thermal eruptions that may take place on the Moon.
This program logged more than 3000 hours of monitoring the Moon. They reported not detecting a single lunar transient phenomena event. They said that they monitored the radio network over which Argus-Astronet observers made immediate announcements of lunar transient event in progress and they failed to confirm a single event. They did have one significant event take place on April 21-22, 1967 an abnormal enhancement of the entire Moon in blue light was found to take place. They found that the enhancement was most conspicuous near the sub solar point on the Moon. Miss Barbara Middlehurst of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory was keeping the log on all lunar transient events that were being reported at this time and four such reports were submitted when the Corralitos Observatory was monitoring the Moon. The Corralitos Observatory was unable to make any confirmation of and lunar transient event.
If you wish to learn more about this report you can find more information published in the Astronomical Journal 127th meeting on August 20-23, 1968. You can also find the report on page 299 of Sky and Telescope November 1968.
Note: It is this kind of report that makes it very difficult to believe that this phenomena is real. It is impressive to look at the equipment used and the hours spent monitoring the Moon. But one thing that I have found that surpasses any instrument is the human eye that once trained for lunar and planetary observing can see details way beyond what the camera can detect.
What needs to be done at this juncture in time is to get an observatory committed to a long term monitoring of the Moon with the latest technology in imaging and spectroscopic capabilities. We would also need to reestablish the international network of observers to monitor the Moon for possible events. With world wide communication now made easy with internet access this program could become very effective. It would be able to respond in the minimum amount of time when an event takes place.
Photograph of David O. Darling conducting video taping of the Moon using CCD video camera. This is one of the simplest technologies that are available to the amateur astronomer. But to be truly effective you need to use a high resolution camera along with a high resolution television screen. Other instruments that are highly successful for imaging the Moon are the CCD camera by Santa Barbara Cameras, called the ST6.
Dome of 40" Refractor
Photographs of the 40 inch refractor dome locate in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. The photograph on the lower right is the famous instrument itself. I have had the privilege of looking through this instrument and think it would be the perfect telescope for lunar studies. It will probably take a great deal of lobbying and persuasion to get a professional observatory to commit any amount of time to monitoring the Moon for lunar transient phenomena. Let alone to monitor it on a continues basis. It should be remembered that if this kind of program was successfully done once with N.A.S.A. funding, and it can happen again if the right connections are made and the argument is persuasive.
Famous 40" Refractor