A labeled near-side tour, the best features to see at each phase, and the must-see sights. The most accessible target in the sky — it works at any aperture, in any sky.
Earth's only natural satellite is also the most rewarding telescopic target in the entire sky. The Moon is 384,000 km away — close enough that even small binoculars reveal mountain ranges, ancient impact craters, and lava-flooded basins. It's bright enough that light pollution, moon phase, and dark adaptation don't matter much. It's the only target where a 4-inch telescope shows you real geography — places you could in principle visit.
The bright areas are highlands — ancient cratered terrain dating back to the Moon's formation. The dark patches are maria (Latin for "seas") — vast basaltic lava plains that filled enormous impact basins about 3.5 billion years ago. Tycho and Copernicus are young craters (within the last few hundred million years) — their bright ray systems haven't been weathered down by micrometeorite impacts yet.
The terminator is the line dividing day from night. Features near it cast long shadows that reveal 3D relief invisible at full Moon. The "best" phase for almost any feature is when it sits on the terminator — typically a few days after first quarter for western features, a few days after last quarter for eastern features. Whatever's on the terminator tonight is the best target tonight.
First major mare to come into view as the Moon waxes. Isolated dark patch near the eastern limb. Visible to the naked eye; binoculars show its shape.
Spectacular crater chain on the western edge of Mare Nectaris. Theophilus is sharpest; Catharina is most eroded. Best at the terminator.
Sunlit crater rims briefly form an X and a V on the terminator. Visible only ~4 hours; predictions are on lunar observing sites.
Fault line in Mare Nubium casts a sharp dark shadow at first quarter. By full Moon it's invisible. Repeats at last quarter as a bright line instead.
Curving mountain range sharply lit at first quarter. The Apollo 15 landing site sits at the base.
Sharply terraced walls and central peaks — a textbook complex impact crater. Its surrounding ray system is bright at full Moon.
Dark smooth floor surrounded by bright walls; the small craterlets on the floor are a serious test of seeing and aperture.
The brightest feature on the Moon — it glows even when the surrounding region is in earthlight. Schröter's Valley is nearby.
Semicircular bay on the edge of Mare Imbrium. Beautiful at the sunrise terminator (waxing) when the Jura Mountains light up first.
Spectacular ray system extends 1,500 km across the southern hemisphere. The most prominent feature at full Moon when shadows are gone.
One of the largest visible craters; a chain of smaller craters on its floor decreases in size — fun to step through.
Striking 130 km gash through the Alps. A tiny rille runs down the floor — a sub-3 km telescope test.
You can't see the gear, but you can find the spot — in southwestern Mare Tranquillitatis between three small craters.
The whole disk faintly visible from sunlight reflected off Earth. Da Vinci called it "the old Moon in the new Moon's arms."
The hardware left behind is far too small to see in any telescope — the largest gear (the descent stages) is about 4 meters across, which from 384,000 km would need 0.002 arcseconds of resolution (Hubble manages about 0.05). But you can find the spots — all on the near side, mostly in maria, with interesting geology around each.
The Lunar 100. Charles Wood published The Lunar 100 in Sky & Telescope in 2004 — 100 lunar features ordered by difficulty, mirroring the Astronomical League's deep-sky lists. The first 10 are naked-eye / binocular targets (the Moon disk, maria, Tycho, Aristarchus); the last 10 demand large apertures and unusual conditions (small craters in shadow, libration features barely at the limb). Working through it is the standard project for serious lunar observers — the natural next step once you've done the featured tour above. The full list is free online at S&T.
The Moon is brighter than people expect. A neutral-density "moon filter" reduces glare without changing color. Or just observe with one eye and let the other stay dark-adapted.
Higher than usual works well since the target is bright. 200× is normal; 300–400× is possible on steady nights. Push until the image breaks down, then back off.
Always start at the day/night line and walk it slowly. Whatever's on the terminator tonight is the best target tonight.
Watch one feature over consecutive nights as the terminator approaches and crosses it. The 3D structure of a single crater is revealed differently each night — astonishing.
The waxing terminator (lunar sunrise) and waning terminator (sunset) reveal completely different aspects of the same crater because shadows fall the other way. A crater's two best nights are 14 days apart.
The dashboard shows tonight's moon phase, rise/set times and how bright it'll be at your location — plus a clear-sky score so you know whether the terminator's worth chasing. And for deep-sky nights, it tells you when the Moon's out of the way.