Astronomers both love and loathe the moon. When it is nearly full, it wipes out virtually everything else in the sky, and isn't even particularly interesting in its own right. But at other times, a closeup view of the moon is a breathtaking sight for anyone with even a modest telescope. The best time to look at the moon is when there are some shadows on its surface, which is pretty much any time except a day or two on either side of full. Shadows help to show the relief, and their inky blackness adds to their drama. At full, all you can see is variations in brightness, so although the dark "sea" areas show up, craters appear just as pale rings, if at all. Read more
