Gay - Lussac
1998 April 6th, 19:42 - 20:50 (U.T.)
6" Maksutov-Cassegrain x180 and x225
Transp: Good (but broken cloud)
Seeing: II
Lunation: 931
Sun's Col: 28.9 - 29.5 deg.
Sun's Lat: -0.97 deg. -0hrs 7th
Earth's Sel Long: 5.4 deg.
Earth's Sel Lat: 1.9 deg.
Notes:
The observation is rather incomplete in it's depiction of the environs of Gay
- Lussac due to the session being cut short by cloud cover at 20:50 (U.T.).
However, conditions were excellent during the period of observation with very
steady moments allowing magnifications of x225 on the newly acquired 6"
Maksutov. This instrument seems to give a very "contrasty" image and
I was able to record much detail on the interior of Gay - Lussac and the region
extending to the North, terminating in a fine array of tiny craterlets at the
extent of the observation.
Rima Gay - Lussac to the West was observed to commence at what seemed to be
two shallow crater pits and extend SW giving the appearance of a crater chain
to a point at which it is interrupted by a bright elevated region. The Rima
being offset and continuing SW as a broad "valley".
Nigel Longshaw