The crater Halley can be found directly south of Hipparchus near the center of the nearside of the Moon. The crater is named after the English astronomer, Edmond Halley. Halley is probably most famous for calculated the periodicity of his eponymous comet. Halley was a contemporary of Isaac Newton and they worked together on the physics of gravity. Halley even funded the publication of Newton's Magnus Opus, Philsophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. He voyaged to the Southern Hemisphere to map the stars as Flamsteed had mapped the Northern Hemisphere.
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| Herschel (Image Credit: NASA Apollo 12) |
Herschel is a moderately sized crater with a diameter of 41km and a depth of 3,770m.
Observation
My abbreviated observation record can be found below:
My abbreviated observation record can be found below:
| Date | 2020-05-29 |
| Time | 23:51 |
| Sky | Clear |
| Telescope | 8" Reflector (1200mm F.L.) |
| Eyepiece | 10mm (2x Barlow) |
| Magnification | 240x |
Comments
Herschel can be found just north of the large crater Ptolemeus. The crater appears to be fairly deep with ridges visible around the edge. There is a clear central peak formation. A valley was observed to the east of the crater. There are two smaller craters to the southwest and northwest 90° from each other.
Location
To help you locate this object a map has been provided from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Observer's Handbook. It is object #53, highlighted below.
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| Herschel (Crater) |
The image below is another great view from the Apollo 12 mission. The crater just above Herschel is known as Herschel C with a diameter of 10km and just below that is Herschel X with a diameter of 3km.
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| Herschel (Image Credit: NASA Apollo 12) |
