Ghana Planetarium

Observing the gibbous & full moon without optical aid

A fun gibbous and full moon observing activity!

The gibbous and full moons can be quite bright, producing an abundance of refracted glare when viewed by the unaided eye. Little, if any lunar detail can be seen – just a frustrating blur.

To nearly eliminate the glare while increasing your ability to discern surface detail, try the following:

1. Drill a 1/16 inch (or 1.5 mm) hole in a thin opaque card. A plastic soft drink bottle cap works nicely. (A smaller hole dims the moon too much.)
2. Remove any burrs.
3. Hold the card/bottle cap to your eye so that it is within 1/2 inch of the pupil, and look at the bright moon.
4. The dark markings (maria) on the lunar surface should be discernible.

This works because of two reasons.
1. Only about 6% of the moonlight is allowed to enter the pupil, nearly eliminating glare.
2. Light traveling through the outer portions of the eye, where most common eye distortions occur, is blocked by the opaque card. The light that passes through the central part of the pupil has little distortion, resulting in greatly improved visual acuity.

The larger lunar maria might be seen including Maria Crisium, Tranquilitatis, and Serenitatis – even for observers with less than 20/20 vision. The distance gap between Mare Crisium and the limb can be estimated, and over time, the observer can notice the effect of changing eastern lunar libration.

Exciting news! The IAU GA (International Astronomical Union General Assembly) gets underway today! Thousands of astronomers from all over the world will be gathering, and for the first time in the history of the IAU, the GA will take place on African soil, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Also for the first time is the opportunity to register as a virtual participant (at a fee), or you can watch many of the sessions FREE via livestream!

See https://astronomy2024.org/ for full details. Find “Open Access Streams” on the left hand menu to watch the sessions.

I will be giving a talk about the Ghana Planetarium at 12.30GMT today, look for “Venue 2.61 – 2.63 OAO-2/WG5-1: Office for Astronomy Outreach / Professional-Amateur Relations in Astronomy” in the list of Open Access Streams. (Please note that the time given on the flyer is for the entire session and is in SA time!)

🚨There is still time to submit your piece of Art to celebrate and entre for a chance to win a telescope! 🎨🔭

Learn how to participate here: https://bitly.ws/UeEg

It's going to be a great day at the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory tomorrow!

Register your event to be part of Global Outreach Project!

Learn more here: https://bitly.ws/UeEV

EVERYTHING ASTRONOMY SEPTEMBER EDITION – Saturday 30th September

Are you looking for real research projects and an amazing international experience for your high school / secondary students? Join us this Saturday as we hear from 4 Ghanaian students who spent 10 weeks this Summer at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), as part of the university’s Science Internship Program (SIP). Find out how your students could enjoy this amazing opportunity in future years!

FREE registration here: https://bit.ly/Gheaossep

A Small reminder of how big Jupiter is,

Me man Ghana🇬🇭🥰 #destinationGhana @newinghanatourism