Book Review: Moon Osberver's Guide by Peter Grego

Why observe the moon? In the introduction to his splendid guide, Peter Grego
asks and then answers that question. But he not only answers the question,
he does so with a grace and style that alert the reader to the fact he is
not only dealing with a trusty guide to the moon’s surface, but someone
whose own love for observing will prove to be contagious. While many people
can guide you from one crater to the next, only a few can point you to the
excitement and mystery of the moon at the same time.

Indirectly, this is the reason this review has taken so long to write. When
I first saw Peter’s new book, I realized that to review it properly, I
needed to get it into the hands of beginners, and see what effect it would
have. To that end, I contacted several newcomers to our hobby, and one
moderately experienced lunar observer. The idea was that they would
circulate the book among them. At the end, I would be able to talk with them
and see how far along they had come as lunar observers, using Peter’s book
as their guide. For while the guide provides enough detail to keep far more
experienced observers happy and busy, it should also be clear enough to
guide a newcomer. There was only one problem. Once they got their hands on
it, they would not give it up for the next person! And that may be the best
endorsement I can write.

However, let me quickly add that this is not only a book for beginners. The
heart of the book is a twenty-eight day section, tracing the moon from new
crescent to old. While many are overwhelmed with the number of possible
observing targets, Peter addresses each day, suggesting features that are
shown to their best on that particular day. He describes the features,
explaining what to look for and notice, and frequently explains the lunar
geology that formed them. Several people commented that this was a wonderful
read both before starting an observing session, and during cloudy nights.
:-)

By way of example, the section on day eight covers eleven pages, making it
one of the larger "days" described. The first two pages contain strip maps.
While they are not at the scale of a Rukl, they provide more than enough
guidance to find everything being discussed. Additional photos and drawings
illustrate details on several features pointed out in this tour of the
eighth day. It starts with features easily seen in binoculars or a sharp
pair of unaided eyes. From there the discussion starts in the north with
Goldschmidt and Anaxagoras, describing various features as he moves down the
terminator. At times, he describes how certain features will become more or
less visible as the sun rises higher, enabling people to plan what to look
for at the beginning of their session and what to come back to for a second
look at the end of their time with the moon.

By the time he comes to Plato, he does not simply describe the crater, but
begins with how Plato first appears, "Early in day eight, the Alpine
terminator reveals a large dent. As the sun climbs higher, the dent becomes
a large well-defined crater — the magnificent Plato (101 km), one of the
loveliest of the Moon’s walled plains." I should quickly add, that for those
new to the moon, the first chapter explains the differences in craters,
moving from small simple craters, to complex craters, to walled plains and
impact basins. Those already knowledgeable on these matters will still enjoy
the geologic description of Plato, noting heights above the surrounding
terrain, and describing the large collapsed area on the western wall.
Additionally, the reader is given realistic expectations on what his
telescope can find in Plato (craterlets) and when to look. An accompanying
drawing shows how the shadows at sunrise show "a row of a dozen or more
sharp black points, several of them longer than the others, whose eastward
recession can almost be detected in real time as the sun climbs higher."

From Plato, day eight continues to the wrinkle ridges in Mare Imbrium, again
helping an observer to plan his or her observing session in great detail.
Continuing to Archimedes, Aristillus and Autolycus, Peter discusses not only
crater morphology, but chronological sequences as well. An earlier
introductory chapter will have already explained to the reader how the moon
formed as well as the geological eras the moon’s history has been divided
into.

The tour continues heading south, discussing craters, domes and more. The
discussion of Ptolemaeus et al points the observers not only to the
differences between the triplet of craters, but to the sculpting done by the
Imbrium impact. From there he continues to an exploration of craters all bu
buried under lava flows and wraps up with Rupes Recta.
While many simply list features, Peter describes them in an entertaining
fashion that will hold your interest, even when you know the sky is too
cloudy to observe. And for the early evening while you wait for your scope
to cool down, these sections will give you a preview of where your telescope
will take you that evening. Once you do sit down at the scope, you will be
ready to see more than you would have observed with having read Peter’s
book. And after all, that is the true mark of a guide book — that it helps
you see far more than you would on your own.

Rounding out the rest of the book, we find a good general introduction to
telescopes, sufficient for a beginner to feel grounded, while not bogging
down those already familiar with various optic configurations. Later there
is an introduction to lunar photography and a section on how to sketch while
observing the moon. A chapter on lunar eclipses and occultations is followed
by a recounting of the moon’s role in space exploration, finally capped off
by a list of additional resources.

Looking to be nitpicky, I did find a couple of paragraphs I would have
changed, and a couple of points on geology that could be better explained.
But the far more critical test was putting into the hands of newbies and
later asking them questions to see if they had understood what they had
read. While it took a lot longer to get the book back, I found newly excited
lunar observers, who had gone out on their own, seen far more than they
dreamed they could recognize, and were now more knowledgeable about the moon
than three quarters of the people at the local astro club.

Of course, the book is not just for newcomers. Part of the delay was waiting
long enough to let me also use the book as my sole guide for several
observing sessions. In this, I found the book to be clear while still giving
more than enough info for me to plan my own observing sessions. While
additional large-scale atlases are still recommended, I managed quite well
using only Peter’s guide.

In the past I’ve been accused of being too critical in reviews, so it is a
pleasure to give two thumbs up to Moon Observer’s Guide by Peter Grego.

In the UK the book is published by Philip's, and the details a
Paperback 176 pages (November 20, 2003) / Publisher: Philip's /
ISBN:0540084190

In the UK the book also comes in a Moon observer's starter pack called
Moonwatch, which contains the new Philip's Moon map for which Peter wrote
the text, and a selection of phase photographs on a poster. Moonwatch
details are as follows:
Publisher: Philip's / ISBN: 054008543X
US info:
Paperback: 192 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.52 x 7.81 x 4.99 /
Publisher: Firefly Books (J); (February 2004) / ISBN: 1552978885
And it's available from Amazon.com, etc.

Clear Skies

Chuck Taylor
Do you observe the moon?
Try http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/
And the Lunar Picture of the Day http://www.lpod.org/
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