Our moon is a good astronomical target for stargazers for many good reasons. First of all it is very straightforward to identify. If you can't find it in the sky, it probably simply means it is not currently there in the sky, whether because it's a new moon or because it's already set behind the horizion. Secondly it is the nearest thing for us to view here on Earth, and is the only object other than the Sun that may be observed as something besides a dot of light using the human eye alone. This permits us all to examine its surface area with good detail with optical aids that are offered to everyone. The very best telescopes are typically not even a necessity to watch the Moon, merely a pair of binoculars or even just just the naked eye.
The initial thing you ought to know about viewing our Moon is its cycle of phases. The moon moves around our planet nearly every 4 weeks. During this period the Moon's position in regards to the Earth and Sun changes, and consequently the way in which it looks illuminated from our perspective fluctuates as well. While the Moon is in back of the planet Earth, we perceive the total lit up portion of the Moon; this is called a full moon. Since it circles around the our planet, over time less of the Moon's illuminated exterior will become visible to us on Earth. During this time period the Moon is regarded to be waning. As it is waning it's going to pass through the stages referred to as Gibbous, Quarter, and Crescent, each exhibiting less and less of its lit up area, until finally it gets to the New Moon phase. During this time period the Moon is positioned in between our planet and the Sun and therefore is not visible in the evening sky. After that, it starts the waxing phase and goes through the above mentioned phases, this time in the opposite direction, until finally it's full again.
Many people would certainly believe that the best stage to head out stargazing for the Moon would certainly be the Full Moon phase, this is really incorrect. Watching throughout the Full Moon is actually considerably stressful on the eyes, because at this time it can be seven percent as luminous the Sun. Observing throughout the Full Moon is additionally not optimal since hardly any dark areas tend to be present on the surface of the Moon and as a result its physical appearance is likely to appear washed over.
Viewing through the intermediate Moon phases is undoubtedly optimal, given that the shadows developed by the perspective of the Sun makes all the features stand out at the observer and creates excellent contrasts on the Moon's exterior. The best quality contrasts can be seen along side the terminator, or the term for the separating line between the dark and illuminated parts of the Moon.
The Moon's surface is full of numerous interesting features which are superb to observe. The most widely known elements may just be the many craters which are found on the Moon. These craters were created by asteroids many years ago from the creation years of the Moon and our planet. Additionally, you will notice massive darker sectors upon the Moon, called Mare, which is latin for "seas". These are not really waters but instead great areas of rock made from volcanoes. In addition, the same as the Earth, the Moon has a variety of various mountains and valleys which can be seen too. It is best that you find a map of the moon, in order to identify and read about the individual topographical features found on the Moon.