Here is an image of the full Moon from last night. Actually taken just past midnight, so lets say it was taken on July 20th, 47 years to the day after Apollo 11 first landed on the Moon.

This image is actually several images that I hand stitched together. My regular old DSLR camera was shooting through my 5″ class refractor. The camera was set to ISO400 and the exposure time was 1/400th of a second.  The version seen here has had contrast adjustments made and been reduced in file size.

The full Moon rides fairly low in the sky at this time of year, but I was still happy with the view. Not the best night of seeing, but not the worst either.

After Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in 1969 there were 5 other landings over the next few years.  The last one was in December of 1972, and although we have sent very sophisticated robotic spacecraft in the intervening years, there have been no further human visits to the Moon since then.  Of course, you don’t need any of that to explore the lunar surface. You can see the Moon for yourself just by looking up; it rides high over your head, passing over everyone on the planet, giving each an equal and beautiful view of this alien landscape.  Look at the dark markings and the lunar phases with just your eye, or point binoculars at the Moon for a rich and detailed view of the surface.  Telescope owners often shy away from observing on full Moon nights to avoid the light pollution, but a view like the one I recorded in this photograph makes it all worth while to me

I hope you got out to see the beauty of the moon, and if you missed it last night, don’t worry, there’s a new full moon to look at every month.