Lunar crescent seen

Stubby Lunar crescent seen from Phoenix, AZ, USA, ~18:30 local, ~12
minutes after local sunset, ~24 hr. old, using 10x30 binos, with a big
assist from easy nearby venus. My previous early sighting was about 30
hrs old.

"Robin R. Wier" wrote in message
...
Stubby Lunar crescent seen from Phoenix, AZ, USA, ~18:30 local, ~12
minutes after local sunset, ~24 hr. old, using 10x30 binos, with a big
assist from easy nearby venus. My previous early sighting was about 30
hrs old.

So What??

"Robin R. Wier" wrote in message
...
Stubby Lunar crescent seen from Phoenix, AZ, USA, ~18:30 local, ~12
minutes after local sunset, ~24 hr. old, using 10x30 binos, with a big
assist from easy nearby venus. My previous early sighting was about 30
hrs old.

Nice job! Not a world record, but 24 hours is a very small sliver!

Clear Skies

Chuck Taylor
Do you observe the moon?
Try the Lunar Observing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/

Chuck Taylor wrote:
"Robin R. Wier" wrote in message
...
Stubby Lunar crescent seen from Phoenix, AZ, USA, ~18:30 local, ~12
minutes after local sunset, ~24 hr. old, using 10x30 binos, with a big
assist from easy nearby venus. My previous early sighting was about 30
hrs old.

Nice job! Not a world record, but 24 hours is a very small sliver!

Out of curiosity, what would be a world record? (Assuming such things
are recorded!)

James Goldman wrote:

Chuck Taylor wrote:
"Robin R. Wier" wrote in message
...
Stubby Lunar crescent seen from Phoenix, AZ, USA, ~18:30 local, ~12
minutes after local sunset, ~24 hr. old, using 10x30 binos, with a big
assist from easy nearby venus. My previous early sighting was about 30
hrs old.

Nice job! Not a world record, but 24 hours is a very small sliver!

Out of curiosity, what would be a world record? (Assuming such things
are recorded!)

The youngest lunar observation I know of is 11 hours 42 min. by a
regular young Moon observer in Iran using 40x150 binoculars. Spotting
the new crescent Moon is a popular amateur activity in Muslim countries
because of its historical importance (and continued importance in some
countries) in defining the beginning of the month on the Islamic lunar
calendar. I'm not sure there's a widely recognized organization for
approving records, though, and someone in another Muslim country told me
they have an observation that's younger than the one above. I think
some countries have their own such organizations, though. There's a lot
of information about spotting young lunar crescents available on the
web, mostly from Islamic countries but some from the West as well.

Mike Simmons

Mike Simmons wrote:
The youngest lunar observation I know of is 11 hours 42 min. by a
regular young Moon observer in Iran using 40x150 binoculars.

Unless I am mistaken, that would mean spotting a crescent showing only
six degrees of longitude on the Moon, which from the Earth would be
30-odd arcseconds at the lunar equator - and probably during twilight.
That's quite a feat!

[...]
There's a lot of information about spotting young lunar crescents
available on the web, mostly from Islamic countries but some from the
West as well.

I'll look for it. I very much doubt I'd be able to match the above
observation, but it sounds like a fun thing to try.

"James Goldman" wrote in message
news:d9Qdb.40549$I36.3519@pd7tw3no...
Mike Simmons wrote:
The youngest lunar observation I know of is 11 hours 42 min. by a
regular young Moon observer in Iran using 40x150 binoculars.

Unless I am mistaken, that would mean spotting a crescent showing only
six degrees of longitude on the Moon, which from the Earth would be
30-odd arcseconds at the lunar equator - and probably during twilight.
That's quite a feat!

IIRC, S&T had and article not long ago on records. Someone (here?) also
posted a URL for record sightings.

Clear Skies

Chuck Taylor
Do you observe the moon?
Try the Lunar Observing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/

James Goldman wrote:

Mike Simmons wrote:
The youngest lunar observation I know of is 11 hours 42 min. by a
regular young Moon observer in Iran using 40x150 binoculars.

Unless I am mistaken, that would mean spotting a crescent showing only
six degrees of longitude on the Moon, which from the Earth would be
30-odd arcseconds at the lunar equator - and probably during twilight.
That's quite a feat!

To give an idea of how thin the Moon must be at that time I've posted a
photograph taken in Isfahan, Iran of a Moon less than 32 hours old at
http://www.mssimmons.com/temp/NewMoon.jpg. This is over twice as old as
the one sighted visually.

At http://www.mssimmons.com/temp/YoungMoonObservers1.jpg and
http://www.mssimmons.com/temp/YoungMoonObservers2.jpg you can see how
it's done. Note the strong shadows from the very strong twilight.
These particular observers are among the most expert. The turbaned
observer successfully observed a 12 hour, 15 minute moon in this frame
grab from a video.

Lest anyone think that just getting some big binoculars is all there is
to this or that the practice is stuck firmly in the past, I've posted a
photo of participants at an annual workshop in Tehran on observing the
crescent Moon at http://www.mssimmons.com/temp/CrescentMoonWorkshop.jpg

Mike Simmons

Okay, now you're in my territory.

On May 5, 1989, we spotted a 13 hr. 40 min. crescent moon
near Grand Rapids, Michigan. This just missed the old record
by 12 minutes which was, oddly enough, set just 12 minutes earlier
by Robert Victor in Lansing, Michigan.

This blew past the previous record by an hour or so. We even
got written up in the Sept. 1989 Sky and Telescope.
--
Bruce Sidell
Moonrise Software
www.Moonrise.us

"Bruce Sidell" wrote

Okay, now you're in my territory.

On May 5, 1989, we spotted a 13 hr. 40 min. crescent moon
near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

So THAT'S where it was! I thought I'd lost the moon for a moment....