Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program

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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

Mare Crisium

46

Zagut, Rabbi Levi & Lindenau

91

Stadius

2

Eastern Basin Group (Mare Crisium / Mare Fecunditatis Area)

47

Delambre

92

Clavius

3

Mare Anguis

48

Aristoteles & Eudoxus

93

Fra Mauro Formation

4

Vendelinus

49

Sacrobosco and Playfair

94

Montes Recti

5

Langrenus

50

Maurolycus and Barocius

95

Copernicus

6

Petavius

51

Gemma Frisius

96

Mare Imbrium / Eratosthenes / Copernicus System

7

Furnerius and Fraunhofer

52

Montes Haemus & Mare Serenitatis Lacus Group

97

Wilhelm & Heinsius

8

Geminus & Lacus Spei

53

Rima Ariadaeus

98

Blancanus & Scheiner

9

Endymion & Mare Humboldtianum

54

Abulfeda & Catena Abulfeda

99

Longomontanus

10

Snellius & Vallis Snellius

55

Abenezra & Azophi

100

Bullialdus

11

Cleomedes & Macrobius

56

Dorsum von Cotta & Dorsum Buckland

101

Kies, Mercator & Campanus

12

Stevinus

57

Linné

102

Mare Cognitum & Kuiper

13

Mare Fecunditatis

58

Cuvier

103

Reinhold & Lansberg

14

Vallis Rheita

59

Manilius

104

Dorsum Zirkel and Dorsum Heim

15

Promontorium Lavinium & Promontorium Olivium

60

Montes Caucasus

105

Montes Carpatus

16

Franklin & Cepheus

61

Rima Hyginus

106

Sinus Iridum

17

Steinheil and Watt

62

Stöfler and Faraday

107

Klaproth & Casatus

18

Palus Somni and Proclus

63

Airy, Argelander & Vogel

108

Palus Epidemiarum

19

Newcomb

64

Rimae Triesnecker

109

Lacus Timoris

20

Metius and Fabricius

65

Hipparchus

110

Montes Riphaeus

21

Sinus Concordiae

66

Albategnius

111

Hortensius & Hortensius Domes

22

Janssen

67

Werner & Aliacensis

112

Mare Insularum Volcanic Complex

23

Montes Pyrenaeus

68

Montes Alpes & Vallis Alpes

113

Promontorium Kelvin & Rupes Kelvin

24

Atlas and Hercules

69

Aristillus & Autolycus

114

Mons Delisle & Mons Vinogradov

25

Mare Nectaris

70

Montes Apenninus & Apennine Bench

115

Kepler & Encke

26

Rupes Cauchy & Cauchy

71

Walter

116

Gassendi

27

Sinus Amoris

72

Huggins, Nasireddin & Miller

117

Mons Gruithuisen Gamma & Delta

28

Capella and Vallis Capella

73

Regiomontanus & Purbach

118

Schiller & the Schiller-Zucchius Basin

29

Fracastorius

74

Arzachel

119

Montes Harbinger

30

Hommel

75

Ptolemaeus & Alphonsus

120

Letronne and Flamsteed

31

Piccolomini

76

Goldschmidt

121

Rupes Liebig

32

Wöhler

77

Montes Spitzbergen & Mons Piton

122

Aristarchus Plateau & Vallis Schröteri

33

Posidonius

78

Archimedes & Montes Archimedes

123

Mersenius & Rimae Mersenius

34

Dorsa Aldrovandi and Mons Argaeus

79

Deslandres

124

Billy and Hansteen

35

Jansen

80

Moretus & South Polar Region

125

Zucchius, Bettinus & Kircher

36

Lacus Mortis and Bürg

81

Maginus

126

Marius & Marius Hills

37

Theophilus (Sinus Asperitatis & Mare Nectaris Area)

82

Davy & Catena Davy

127

Schickard & Lacus Excellentiae

38

Cyrillus (Sinus Asperitatis & Mare Nectaris Area)

83

Rupes Recta

128

Vieta & Fourier

39

Catharina (Sinus Asperitatis & Mare Nectaris Area)

84

Montes Teneriffe & [[Mons Pico]

129

Phocylides & Wargentin

40

Rupes Altai

85

Plato

130

Mons Rümker

41

Mare Serenitatis

86

Tycho

131

Reiner Gamma & Galilaei

42

Sinus Asperitatis

87

Eratosthenes

132

Sirsalis & Rimae Sirsalis

43

Plinius

88

Gauricus and Wurzelbauer

133

Pythagoras, Harpalus & Bouguer

44

Lamont, Arago, & Ross

89

Timocharis

134

Grimaldi

45

Moltke & Rimae Hypatia

90

Pitatus

135

Lacroix & Southwestern Limb Region


(3) Librational List (optional)

The 10 main objectives
No.
Feature
L1

Mare Australe

L2

Mare Marginis

L3

Mare Smythii

L4

Hubble

L5

Gärtner and Democritus

L6

Markov

L7

Seleucus

L8

Bailly

L9

Ulugh Beigh and Aston

L10

Mare Orientale


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.


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