Craters Cuvier, Heraclitus, and Licetus
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
It has been a long time since I have attempted to use charcoal pencils on white sketching paper but I found an unused pair among my drawing supplies. They turned out to be less messy than ones I have used in the past. I liked the way they worked on the medium weight drawing paper I had on hand.
Two years ago in March of 2006 the European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft Smart-1 imaged the crater Cuvier to test the high resolution camera (AMIE) with great success. I noted this crater was well placed along the terminator last evening for sketching. No sooner than having seen it, I decided it would be my target for sketching. Cuvier a 77km walled-plain crater is eastern most in the sketch. The crater has a nearly flat, lava flooded floor and at 3.5 billion years old is still younger than its neighbor to the southwest Heraclitus. Elongated crater Heraclitus is from the Pre-Imbrian period and dates back more than 4 billion years. A central mountain ridge runs down the center of this crater from northeast to southwest. This ridge line was illuminated in the morning sunlight. Within the shadow of this crater 25% of the dark southwest floor is occupied by Heraclitus D. Finally the large 74 km. crater to the northwest is Pre-nectarian crater Licetus. It like Cuvier infringes upon Heraclitus.
It was a beautiful night to observe and sketch the moon.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: White CPP sketching paper, 9”x 12”, Number 4B charcoal pencils, a blending stump, gum eraser and an eraser shield. After scanning, Brightness was slightly decreased (-2) and contrast increased (+2) using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 6mm eyepiece 241x
Date: 6-11-2008 1:05 – 2:05 UT
Temperature: 24° C (76° F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Co-longitude: 358.9°
Lunation: 7.29 days
Illumination: 55.1 %
Phase: 84.1°
Observing Location: +41°37′ +87° 47′
Frank McCabe