Moon Map for InOMN 2013

October 12, 2013 is International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN), an annual public outreach event that encourages people from around the world to look up at our nearest neighbor in space. The map on this page was produced as an observing aid for the event. It shows the phase and libration of the Moon for noon Universal Time on the date of the event, with labels for many of the features that are visible on that date. A corresponding observing list is available as a PDF.

The list includes items visible with the naked eye and with binoculars as well as telescopic targets. The Moon is just past First Quarter. Naked eye observers can see the shape and orientation of the daylit side and the difference in brightness of the northern and southern parts. They can probably make out the two largest maria, the Seas of Serenity and Tranquility. Those with keen eyes might also discern several less prominent maria, as well as a couple of bright spots near the southeastern limb.

These bright spots, near the craters Langrenus and Stevinus, are easier to see in binoculars, which will also show the Apennine Mountains and the irregularity of the terminator, the line between day and night. A telescope reveals that the terminator crosses a densely cratered region in the south, and elsewhere, it can resolve long, cliff-like scarps and the remnants of an extinct volcano. Although Apollo artifacts can't be seen by any Earthbound telescope, four of the six landing sites are in daylight at First Quarter.