A blog about old telescopes, their makers, the discoveries made using these telescopes, and why they're important.

Saturday, August 01, 2015

Moon atlases

The moon is just past full tonight and I've been viewing the terminator the last couple of nights -- and looking around the house for my Rukl's Atlas.  It seems to have disappeared and I can't find a good substitute.  I've got Hatfield, Kaguya, Lunar Orbiter, and Chuck Wood's wonderful book.  Oh, and Harold Hill's absolutely jaw-dropping "Portfolio of Lunar Drawings".

With the exception of the last, none of these latter books is drawn.  That is, the illustrations are photographs.  And they're wonderful photographs showing far more detail than virtually anyone can draw (or really even "take in" when viewed through a telescope).  However, Rukl's book consists of detailed drawings that are not affected by lunar phase.  So you can get a better sense of where stuff is.

Which led me to wonder about the Lunar Quadrant Maps that the U of A's Lunar & Planetary Lab put out in the 1960s.  I think I might need a copy.  They're drawn -- not a lot of detail, but virtually any feature of significant size is shown.  I believe they're online, but I think they deserve a physical copy.  Does anyone know how to get a physical copy?

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