The moon’s craters like you’ve never seen before

The University of Texas at Arlington is teaming up with NASA to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night this Saturday. At the free event, held in the UTA Observatory from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., visitors will be able to examine the moon, talk to astronomy experts, and take pictures through a 16-inch scientific-grade telescope.

“Part of the joy of this event is helping people recognize that we have this huge celestial neighbor that we see in the day and night sky, but most folks don’t know much about it,” said Levent Gurdemir, UT Arlington’s Planetarium director. “This is a chance to bring people to campus so we can look a little more closely at the moon.”

The annual event, launched in 2010, is part of a worldwide public engagement program to spark interest in lunar science. This time of year, the moon will be in its waxing gibbous phase, meaning it’s more than 50% illuminated but not yet full. This phase is ideal for observing the moon along the terminator—the line between night and day—where shadows enhance viewing of the craters and mountains on its surface.

“The term ‘waxing’ means increasing, similar to waxing an object to make it brighter, and ‘gibbous’ comes from the Latin for ‘hump,’” explained Gurdemir. “This phase of the moon is great for viewing since the shadows near the terminator line enable us to view the depth of craters through a scientific-grade telescope and to see the details of how truly remarkable the moon’s surface is.”

Visitors will also have the chance to ask UTA Planetarium staff and local astronomy enthusiasts questions about the moon and the night sky.

“It’s such a rewarding part of my job to bring people of all ages together to learn more about the world around us,” Gurdemir said.