An Appeal f o r Observations of t h e Moon

by
Winifred Sawtell Cemeron

I n t h e past few years, p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e last year and a half', t h e r e

have been a number of reports of lunar t r a n s i e n t phenanena. Various

a n o m l i e s have been observed, such as white o r gray obscurations, blue or

v i o l e t haze and reddish spats o r glows. Fist have been observed against

t h e l i g h t e d portions of t b e moon, but some have been seen on the dark side.

Gnequivocal and permanent records of some of these Dhenomena were mde by

the Russian astronomer, N. A. Kozyrev, who obtained spectra of phenomena

occurring i n t h e c r a t e r s Alphonsus and Aristarchus. Z. Kopal of Manchester,

&gland, a l s o obtained photographs i n t h e red and green regions of t h e

spectrum by the use of f i l t e r s , i n which the brightness of extended regions

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of t h e moon appeared t o be s i g n i f i c m t l y enhanced i n t h e red photographs

f c r short periods of time, on the order of minutes or an hour.

The iraportmce and s c i e n t i f i c significance of t h e knowledge of t h e

nature of these temporary phenomena need hardly be emphasized. Heace, t h e

3 a t l o n a l Aeronautics and Space Atiministration has provided funds f o r t h e

developaent and manufacture, by Trident Ehgineers Associates, of a device

c a l l e d Moon-blink, a conception of D r . James Edson of NASA Headquarters.

Xt u t i l i z e s the blink technique used f o r d e t e c t i w motions of c e l e s t r i a l

SoCies. !&e color Slink i s obtained by a r o t a t i n g f i l t e r wheel composed

half of red and t h e other half of blue f i l t e r s . The l i g h t a f t e r passing

%rough t h e f i l t e r s f a l l s on the surface of an image

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DATA SHEET RECORD

Time of observation (standard time):

Name, and location within or around, of formation:

Selenographic position (astronomical):

Hour Angle (or Right Ascension) and Declination of moon:

Altitude of Moon:

Phase of Moon:
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Color -variations :

Shape--variations:
Estimation of brightness of phenomenon-variations :

Duration:
Location of observer:
N a m e of observer :

Experience in observing:

Seeing conditions--poor, fair, good, very good, excellent:

Transparency (faintest magnitude with eye) :

Wind conditions:

Telescope aperture and kind and power:

Others called:

Remarks: i d - SkeJch

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