On July 20, 1969, Apollo astronauts set foot on the Moon for the first time. To celebrate the 52nd anniversary of the Moon landing, Unistellar is helping to host a 24-hour Lunar Marathon from July 17–18, part of the annual On the Moon Again event.
Amateur astronomers will be streaming a new view of the Moon every hour, each accompanied by a discussion hosted by guest scientists from ESA, SETI, and more. Members of the Unistellar Network can help out during the event: Organizers are asking amateur astronomers to set up their telescopes outside to share the Moon with as many people as possible.
Images captured by Unistellar eVscope user Scott Kardel (USA)
Observe the Moon With Your eVscope
At around 50 percent larger than Pluto, the Moon is bigger than many realize. Only 12 people have ever walked on the Moon, all of them Apollo astronauts between 1969 and 1972 — though that may soon change. But you don’t need a rocket for a close-up view of the Moon.
To view the Moon with your eVscope:
- Search for the “Moon” in the Explore tab of the Unistellar app and hit Go to.
- If the Moon isn’t quite centered, slowly reduce the Gain until you can tell which direction the nearest light source — the Moon — is coming from. Then tap the arrows to shift the view towards the light. Repeat this process until the Moon is in full view.
- If you haven’t done so already, make sure to manually set the Gain to all the way down to 0 dB and the Exposure to 5–20 ms, and make sure Auto mode is turned off for both. You’ll be viewing the Moon in the Live View mode — it’s too bright for the eVscope’s Enhanced View mode.
Check out the On the Moon Again website to register, find events near you and more.
We encourage you to share your observations and join the conversation through our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages using the hashtag #UnistellarChallenge!
If you’d like to send us your observations by email, send them to community@unistellaroptics.com.
Clear skies! 🔭
