The EVAC Lunar Observing Program acquaints us with that one object most
amateurs
take for granted - the Moon. This program is for everyone: deep sky observers
waiting for dark skies, amateurs living in heavily light-polluted urban areas,
the young, the old, the experienced observer, the novice... everyone can gain
something from studying our closest celestial neighbor. This program consists of
90 objects. The craters are segregated according to their best viewing
opportunity.
Click right here to download an observation log form for the EVAC Lunar Observing Program.
If you enjoy observing the Moon, you are
encouraged to also investigate the Lunar 100 observing program. This list,
created by Charles Wood and first published in a Sky & Telescope article (April
2004) cannot be published here due to copyright restrictions.
Click right here
to download a guidebook (PDF format) to assist with observing the Lunar 100.
| Feature | Description | |
| Mare Crisium | The Sea of Crises is situated inside a large circular basin | |
| Mare Serenitatis | The Sea of Serenity is an example of a great lava plain | |
| Mare Tranquillitatis | The Sea of Tranquility | |
| Mare Fecunditatis | The Sea of Plenty | |
| Mare Imbrium | The Sea of Rains | |
| Mare Frigoris | The Frigid Sea | |
| Mare Nubium | The Sea of Clouds | |
| Mare Humorum | The Sea of Moisture | |
| Mare Vaporum | The Sea of Vapors | |
| Oceanus Procellarum | The Ocean of Storms | |
| Sinus Iridum | The Bay of Rainbows, discrete impact site from Mare Imbrium | |
| Sinus Medii | The Central Bay | |
| Sinus Roris | The Bay of Dew, located in the northwest quadrant | |
| Palus Somnii | The Marsh of Sleep is a lava plain smaller than maria | |
| Palus Epidemiarum | Small, dark plain with many hills and craterlets | |
| Sinus Aestuum | The Bay of Billows is a large lava plain east of Copernicus | |
| Lacus Mortis | The Lake of Death is a large area of dark terrain west of Hercules | |
| Palus Putredinis | The Marsh of Decay is a bay of Mare Imbrium | |
| Promontorium Laplace | Cape on the northeast edge of Sinus Iridum | |
| Promontorium Heraclides | Triangular group of mountains in Sinus Iridum | |
| Promontorium Agarum | Bright cape on Southeast edge of Mare Crisium | |
| Montes Alpes | Large mountain range on northeast edge of Mare Imbrium | |
| Montes Apenninus | Most impressive lunar mountains forming southeast border of Mare Imbrium | |
| Mons Hadley | A 15,000 foot peak in the Apennine Mountains | |
| Mons Piton | Isolated bright mountain on northeast edge of Imbrium plain | |
| Mons Pico | Isolated mountain on southern edge of the ruined crater Newton | |
| Rupes Altai | Scarp curving along southwest shores of Mare Nectaris | |
| Rima Hyginus | Rille intersecting the crater Hyginus | |
| Vallis Schroteri | Most easily observed sinuous rille, in photo at top of this page | |
| Vallis Alpes | Lava filled graben running through Alps Mountains | |
| Rupes Recta (Straight Wall) | A sloped ridge or fault on eastern shore of Mare Nubium | |
| Lunar Craters ~ 4 Days | ||
| Langrenus | Very large walled plain on eastern shore of Mare Fecunditatus | |
| Vendelinus | Battered ring plain south of the younger Langrenus | |
| Petavius | Walled plain with terraced walls, central mountains and deep rilles | |
| Cleomedes | Walled plain bordered by broad mountains | |
| Atlas | Half of the nicest crater pair with floor containing rilles, hills and craterlets | |
| Hercules | The smaller half with terraced walls, situated east of Lacus Mortis | |
| Endymion | Large formation in northeast quadrant, southwest of Mare Humboldtianum | |
| Macrobius | Plain with widely terraced walls | |
| Picard | Largest and deepest crater on the floor of Mare Crisium | |
| Furnerius | Great walled plain south of Petavius | |
| Petavius Wall | Massive walls with a fine, dark rille along the west side | |
| Messier / Messier - A | Small, deep crater pair on western lava plains of Mare Fecunditatus | |
| Proclus | Small, deep crater with extensive lunar rays | |
| Fabricius | Rugged crater with tall central peak | |
| Lunar Craters ~ 7 Days | ||
| Piccolomini | Walled plain with four bright pyramidal central peaks | |
| Theophilus | Young, well-preserved walled plain | |
| Cyrillus | Polygonal walled plain with northeast wall overlapped by Theophilus | |
| Catharina | Badly eroded, irregularly shaped, oldest of trio with Theophilus and Cyrillus | |
| Posidinius | Very large walled plain in northeast quadrant | |
| Fracastorius | Old walled plain with north wall destroyed by Nectaris lava flows | |
| Aristoteles | Large walled plain south of Mare Frigoris | |
| Eudoxus | Symmetrical wide-walled plain | |
| Cassini | Crater south of Alps Mountains with evidence of Imbrium lava flow intrusion | |
| Hipparchus | Very large walled plain with eroded borders in southeast quadrant | |
| Albategnius | Old impact site showing considerable erosion | |
| Aristillus | Walled plain with faint ray system on eastern shore of Mare Imbrium | |
| Autolycus | Smaller walled plain than its neighbor Aristillus | |
| Maurolycus | Region of saturation cratering in southeast quadrant | |
| Plinius | Round crater encircled by finely terraced walls | |
| Mitchell | Small crater outside of Aristoteles | |
| Cassini - A | Sizable crater contained within Cassini | |
| Manilius | Walled plain with squared-off southern walls | |
| Gemma Frisius | Deep pit situated north of Maurolycus in the southeast quadrant | |
| Lunar Craters ~ 10 Days | ||
| Plato | Extremely dark lava-flooded walled plain northeast of Mare Imbrium | |
| Archimedes | Largest walled plain on Mare Imbrium | |
| Ptolemaeus | Large walled plain located near the center of the Moon's nearside | |
| Alphonsus | Younger walled plain south of Ptolemaeus | |
| Arzachel | Younger still walled plain on eastern shore of Mare Nubium | |
| Walter | Part of a four crater chain east of Mare Nubium | |
| Maginus | Largely ruined crater | |
| Tycho | Huge walled plain, most obvious crater visible at full Moon | |
| Clavius | Very old impact site | |
| Eratosthenes | Impressive walled plain at the end of the Apennine Mountains | |
| Longomontanus | Extensive walled plain with heavily cratered walls | |
| Copernicus | Finest example of a walled plain on the lunar surface | |
| Bullialdus | Walled plain with roughly terraced walls and bright blanket of ejecta | |
| Aristarchus | One of the youngest of all lunar craters | |
| Gassendi | Great, wide walled plain in southwest quadrant | |
| Davy | Small crater to the east of Alphonsus | |
| Pitatus | Large lava-flooded lagoon-like ring on southern shores of Mare Nubium | |
| Billy | Old impact crater in Oceanus Procellarum | |
| Fra Mauro | Heavily eroded crater in Mare Nubium, landing site of Apollo 14 lies to the north | |
| Clavius craterlets | Arc of four craters (D, C, N, J) crossing the floor in east-west attitude | |
| Hippalus | Crater on the east side of Mare Humorum | |
| John Herschel | Walled plain north of Mare Frigoris | |
| Lunar Craters ~ 14 Days | ||
| Kepler | Polygonal crater perched atop elevated terrain west of Copernicus | |
| Grimaldi | One of the darkest spots on the Moon, located on western shoreline of Oceanus Procellarum | |
| Schickard | Large walled plain with low walls and smooth floor | |
| Reiner - Gamma | Unique splash of bright ejecta material |