Astrophotography by Anthony Ayiomamitis

Lunar Image Gallery - Aristarchus Plateau

Named after the ancient Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, this crater is both an observer's delight and a photographer's nightmare. Crater Aristarchus is a relatively small crater with a diameter of only 40.0 km and, yet, is the brightest feature on the surface of the moon and is visible even during Earthshine. Aristarchus is also a very young crater, believed to be less than 500 million years old; is the center of various bright ray systems; the source of various reported lunar transient phenomenon; and lies in an area rich in color, three-dimensional features and possible volcanic activity. Immediately to the north of Aristarchus and its neighbour, Herodotus, lies the largest rille on the lunar surface (Vallis Schroeteri) measuring 160 km in length, up to 11 km in width and 1 km in depth as well as the Aristarchus Plateau, a region measuring approximately 170 by 200 km, and whose 2 km elevation during small windows of opportunities each lunation provide a surreal experience to the observer.

Note: For additional details in relation to the Aristarchus region, click
here.


Image Details
Crater Aristarchus
Imaging Details
Crater:
Aristarchus

Quadrant:
N/W

Lunar Coordinates:
23.7° N 47.4° W

Diameter:
40.0 km

Height:
3.0 km

Lunation Age:
12d 10h 04m

Phase:
93.9°

Diameter:
31.47'

Magnitude:
-12.0

Rukl:
18
Date:
Oct 25, 2004
20:46 - 21:08 UT+3


Location:
Athens, Greece

Equipment:
Celestron 14" SCT
Losmandy G-11 GEM
Philips ToUCam PCVC 740k


Video Imaging:
06 AVI @ 05 fps (0997 frames)
18 AVI @ 10 fps (5228 frames)
Frame Rate : 5-10 fps
Exposure : 1/33 sec
Brightness : 50%
Contrast : 50%
Gamma : 50%
Saturation : 60%
Gain : 50%
Mode : RGB

Software:
K3CCDTools V1.0.6.460
AVI Joiner V1.02
Registax V2.1.0.0
Photoshop V6


Processing:
Selective Sampling (244/6225)
Registration & Alignment
Stacking
Average Combine
JPG Compression


Copyright © 2001-2005, Anthony Ayiomamitis. All rights reserved.