Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program
Contents
Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program
Description
The Moon is by far the most detailed astronomical object to observe through a telescope and the comprehensive Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program (IWLOP) will guide you through a complete tour of our near neighbour's incredible surface. The tour includes many outstanding craters, mountains, valleys, scarps, ridges, and more, not only showing you how they appear, but also describing the history of their formation over four billion years. The RASC Observing Committee created the IWLOP in 2005 as a certificate program for intermediate-to-advanced observers; since then, more than a dozen RASC members have earned their IWLOP certificates and many have provided constructive comments, leading to several minor revisions and corrections in 2013.
About Isabel Williamson
Isabel K. Williamson (1908 - 2000) was an amateur astronomer who became one of the most enthusiastic promoters of observational astronomy for the Montreal Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada RASC. Having joined the Centre initially in 1941, over the next 30 years she took on several roles of authority that included: working as Editor of a monthly bulletin; becoming President from 1950 - 52, and taking on Director of Observations from 1964 - 1968. Particularly interested in Aurora and Meteors, she received two main awards for her devotion and work to the Centre; the first was in 1949 when she received the Chant Medal for observations of the Giacobinid meteor shower of 1946, and later in 1982 receivership of the Society's Service Award for her stewardship and training in the Observatory (later named after her).
The Program Objectives
In honour of her contribution to promotional and practical astronomy, in 2005 the RASC offered the Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program. The program was revised and corrected based on user feedback and the latest program guide is the Revised 2nd Edition (2013). The Certificate is awarded to any RASC member who completes the following two sets of Required observing objectives:
(1) Introducing the Moon - Make 4 general-view observations of the Moon that cover several aspects and topics;
(2) Main Observing List - Observe 135 geological features and regions on the lunar surface.
There are additional parts, including (3) Libration Challenge Features (optional), (4) Observable Craters with Canadian Connections, and (5) the Lunar 1000 Challenge (see the guide).
The main goals of the program, however, are to give the observer an appreciation of the lunar surface, and a greater understanding of how those features observed formed over a period of time. The program can be completed within 6 to 12 months (or longer), and all features can be observed with telescopes of 80-mm aperture and up.
(1) Introducing the Moon
The first five objectives:
- (A) Lunar Phases and Orbital Motion
- (B) Major Basins and Pickering Unaided Eye Scale
- (C) Ray System Extent
- (D) Crescent Moon - less than 24 hours from New (optional, Challenge objective, as of 2011)
- (E) Binocular and Unaided Eye Libration
(2) Main Observing List
The 135 features to observe
| No. |
Feature |
No. |
Feature |
No. |
Feature |
| 1 |
46 |
91 |
|||
| 2 |
Eastern Basin Group (Mare Crisium / Mare Fecunditatis Area) |
47 |
92 |
||
| 3 |
48 |
93 |
|||
| 4 |
49 |
Sacrobosco and Playfair |
94 |
||
| 5 |
50 |
Maurolycus and Barocius |
95 |
||
| 6 |
51 |
96 |
Mare Imbrium / Eratosthenes / Copernicus System | ||
| 7 |
Furnerius and Fraunhofer |
52 |
Montes Haemus & Mare Serenitatis Lacus Group |
97 |
|
| 8 |
53 |
98 |
|||
| 9 |
54 |
99 |
|||
| 10 |
55 |
100 |
|||
| 11 |
56 |
101 |
|||
| 12 |
57 |
102 |
|||
| 13 |
58 |
103 |
|||
| 14 |
59 |
104 |
|||
| 15 |
60 |
105 |
|||
| 16 |
61 |
106 |
|||
| 17 |
62 |
107 |
|||
| 18 |
Palus Somni and Proclus |
63 |
Airy, Argelander & Vogel |
108 |
|
| 19 |
64 |
109 |
|||
| 20 |
65 |
110 |
|||
| 21 |
66 |
111 |
|||
| 22 |
67 |
112 |
Mare Insularum Volcanic Complex | ||
| 23 |
68 |
113 |
|||
| 24 |
69 |
114 |
|||
| 25 |
70 |
115 |
|||
| 26 |
71 |
116 |
|||
| 27 |
72 |
117 |
|||
| 28 |
73 |
118 |
|||
| 29 |
74 |
119 |
|||
| 30 |
75 |
120 |
|||
| 31 |
76 |
121 |
|||
| 32 |
77 |
122 |
|||
| 33 |
78 |
123 |
|||
| 34 |
79 |
124 |
|||
| 35 |
80 |
125 |
|||
| 36 |
Lacus Mortis and Bürg |
81 |
126 |
||
| 37 |
Theophilus (Sinus Asperitatis & Mare Nectaris Area) |
82 |
127 |
||
| 38 |
Cyrillus (Sinus Asperitatis & Mare Nectaris Area) |
83 |
128 |
||
| 39 |
Catharina (Sinus Asperitatis & Mare Nectaris Area) |
84 |
Montes Teneriffe & [[Mons Pico] |
129 |
|
| 40 |
85 |
130 |
|||
| 41 |
86 |
131 |
|||
| 42 |
87 |
132 |
|||
| 43 |
88 |
Gauricus and Wurzelbauer |
133 |
||
| 44 |
89 |
134 |
|||
| 45 |
90 |
135 |
Lacroix & Southwestern Limb Region |
(3) Librational List (optional)
The 10 main objectives
| No. |
Feature |
| L1 |
|
| L2 |
|
| L3 |
|
| L4 |
|
| L5 |
Gärtner and Democritus |
| L6 |
|
| L7 |
|
| L8 |
|
| L9 |
Ulugh Beigh and Aston |
| L10 |
Additional Information
- Details on observing objectives can be found in the LWLOP guide , containing a more detailed description on each feature listed.
- Deluxe Observing Forms for all the features listed in the IWLOP.
- Obituary notice from the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 94, p.202.
Other Observing Programs
- RASC: Explore the Moon Program
- Chuck Wood's Lunar 100.
- Astronomical League Lunar 100 Observing Program.
- Rukl Index Map (the revised and updated digital edition of Antonin Rukl's well-known atlas of the moon's nearside, in 76 sections and 8 libration maps, plus historical disallowed nomenclature and hundreds of nicknames from dedicated telescopic observers of the moon and from the Apollo astronauts).
- CAES catalog (a huge Rukl-related catalog of telescopic test-objects on the moon's surface, and other odd surface formations).
