Today the moon is in the sky, so let's go explore. Notice how Langernos Crater has changed in just 24 hours!
By: Tammy Plotner and Jeff Barber, Universe Today
Today the moon is in the sky, so let's go explore. Notice how Langernos Crater has changed in just 24 hours! We will explore three craters that look just like a paw (of an animal) on the surface. Just northeast of the Langernos border, look for the collection of Naunovo (north), Atwood (south), and Bilhertz (west). Zoom in and try an even more challenging crater at the edge of the north rim of Langernos. This small pox crater is also known as Acosta.
As the moon begins to set, let's take a look at a pair of neighboring open clusters in Gemini - M35 and NGC 2158. While both can be seen in the same field at low magnification, only M35 is visible in binoculars, as a nebulous mass peppered with faint stars. This is exactly what NGC 2158 looks like in a medium sized telescope. Like many of Messier's discoveries, M35 was observed by other astronomers even before Charles looked for comets.
And he did not stop discovering objects in deep space. Remember when viewing these two clusters that the dim NGC 2158 is 16,000 light-years away. That's five times the distance of the M35!
Translation: Amit Oren
