Haven't we all, at some point or the other, looked up to the night sky and been mesmerized by its beauty? Haven't we all, at least once in life, wanted to go there? We have all, most certainly, clicked its picture to capture the beauty of the sliver, shimmering satellite forever. Well, we have celebrated our only natural satellite time and again and now it's time to officially do just that. October 28, 2017, was the International Observe the Moon Night (IOMN)!
Several authorities have planned different things all across the world to encourage people to step outside, take a nice long look or two at our magnificent satellite and just live the moment.
International Observe the Moon Night first commenced in the year 2010 at the beginning of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. Other NASA institutes, like the Lunar and Planetary Institute, the Planetary Science Institute, NASA SSERVI, NASA's Discovery & New Frontiers Program and several others, also dedicated themselves to observing and understanding the moon.
The idea is to make people interested in the natural satellite of ours and, in the process, inspire them to learn more about our closest cosmic neighbor, which is actually quite easy. All you have to do is look up!
The wonderful thing about the moon is that you can just gaze at it with your bare eyes and see so many details. If you use binoculars, you can see the astounding fine points of the craters and ridges. A telescope will bring these features into sharp relief.
Do you not have all these equipment? Don't worry at all. On Saturday night, several events have been organized all over the world so that one can get a closer look at the moon. For example, there is The waxing gibbous Moon, which is perfect for observing craters, valleys, and ridges of the satellite.
You can also opt for Gianluca Masi's Virtual Observatory Project, which has arranged a live webcast of telescopic viewing (starting at 17:00 UT on Saturday, October 28).
