BA Sidewalk Astronomer

AstroBin Image of the Day: Saturn - 6 years evolution, by Simon Labergere

For additional details and full resolution:
https://www.astrobin.com/6gwtq3/

Always enjoy having BA Buzz visit and bring the community with them.

🌗 TONIGHT: An X appears on the Moon for just a few hours. Can you catch it?

YOUR SKY MISSION: HUNT THE LUNAR X 🔭

As sunrise creeps across the Moon, sunlight catches a cluster of crater rims—and a bright letter X seems to emerge from the darkness!

Known as the Lunar X, or Werner X, this illusion forms where the rims and ridges of three craters, Purbach, Blanchinus and La Caille, catch the light while the surrounding lowlands remain in deep shadow.

🤯 The wow factor? You’re watching sunrise reveal a hidden pattern on another world. Over a few hours, the X takes shape, brightens and then blends into the landscape as sunlight floods the surrounding terrain.

🎯 YOUR MISSION:
• Use a small telescope for the clearest view. Well-supported binoculars can also offer a challenge.
• Find the terminator: the boundary between lunar daylight and darkness.
• Search about one-third of the way up from the Moon’s south edge, near crater Werner.
• Revisit the view every 20–30 minutes to watch the pattern change!

⏰ THIS APPEARANCE: Overnight October 17–18, around 06:30 UTC—11:30 p.m. Pacific Saturday. Start checking earlier; the X develops gradually.

🌎 Location matters! The Moon must still be above your horizon. This appearance is poorly timed for eastern North America, where the Moon will already have set. Pacific-region observers: check your local moonset time before heading out.

Have you ever spotted the Lunar X: or would this be your first attempt? Tell me where you’re observing from! 🌍

Save this finder guide for your next lunar adventure, and share it with someone who would love a Moon treasure hunt.