Home / Guides / Observing Moon through a telescope
Observing Moon through a telescope
The Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. It orbits around Earth at an average distance of 384,399 kilometers (238,854 mi),{{efn|Because the Moon follows an elliptical path, its distance from Earth varies over the year, ranging from 357,000-407,000 kilometers (222,000-253,000 mi).
What Moon is
The Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. It orbits around Earth at an average distance of 384,399 kilometers (238,854 mi),{{efn|Because the Moon follows an elliptical path, its distance from Earth varies over the year, ranging from 357,000-407,000 kilometers (222,000-253,000 mi). a distance roughly 30 times the width of Earth. It completes an orbit in relation to Earth and the Sun (synodically) every 29.5 days. The Moon and Earth are bound by gravitational attraction, which is stronger on the sides facing each other. The resulting tidal forces are the main driver of Earth's tides, and have pulled the Moon to always face Earth with the same near side. This tidal locking effectively synchronizes the Moon's rotation period to its orbital period.
Observing Moon through a telescope
The Moon is the finest target for any telescope. Almost any magnification shows craters, mountains and the terminator line where sunlight meets shadow and detail stands out. A Moon filter tames the glare.
Planets and the Moon reward higher magnification than deep-sky objects, but only up to what the air will allow: on a turbulent night the image boils and less power shows more. Magnification is your telescope's focal length divided by your eyepiece's focal length, so a shorter eyepiece gives more power. Use the Fit My Telescope tool to see the magnification and exit pupil each of your eyepieces gives before you observe.
Moon in NASA imagery
NASA has imaged Moon in detail. One example in the NASA Image and Video Library is titled Nearside of the Moon, from JPL. NASA imagery is in the public domain.
What magnification suits Moon?
Open the Fit My Telescope toolSee the magnification and exit pupil each eyepiece givesFind telescope eyepiece on eBayaffiliateRelated
Sources: Moon (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA) · Wikidata (CC0) · NASA Image and Video Library: PIA12235 (public domain)