Pythagoras, Babbage, and Anaximander

Pythagoras, Babbage, and Anaximander
Sketch and details by Carlos Hernandez

I was able to make an observation of the Moon (Waxing Gibbous, 14.1 days old) on August 16, 2008 (05:00 U.T.) using my 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain at 248x and 344x. Several interesting features were visible along the terminator, but the northwest corner of the moon region attracted my attention. This region contained the terraced crater Pythagoras (63.5*N, 62.8*W, 81 miles (130 km) diameter), Babbage (59.5*N, 56.8*W, a walled plain measuring 90 miles (144 km) in diameter, and Anaximander (66.9*N, 51.3*W, 42 miles (68 km) diameter). The central peak of Pythagoras was formed from rebounding of the suddenly molten lunar crust during a violent impact long ago. This region appeared very complex and was difficult to render. I was unable to complete the observation as the Moon was blocked by a tree.

A digital rendering produced in Photoshop CS3.

Carlos