Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - 84

Focal Point

Mark Mathosian

The Moon Does That to You

ISABELLE CARDINAL

Twilight observations draw a range of memorable reactions from strangers.

The l ate Sir Patrick Moore, perhaps the world's most famous amateur
astronomer, liked to say, "Once a Moon
man, always a Moon man." Those are my
sentiments exactly and why I receive great
pleasure showing people our planet's
satellite through my telescope.
My wife and I once owned a condominium in Boca Raton, Florida and did
the annual snowbird routine to avoid cold
weather. I always brought along a telescope
- my 90-mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain
- as Florida skies are commonly clear
at that time of year. I routinely set up the
scope and invited passersby to observe the
Moon. I relied on trusted 26- and 32-mm
oculars, knowing both provided sharp
images of our neighboring orb.
Typically, I would set up my telescope
before dawn or sunset on the walk running along Ocean Boulevard in front of
our building. People strolled, jogged, or
cycled on that path all day, but early ris84

October 2016 sky & telescope

ers in particular enjoyed extra benefits.
They could often view the Moon and
then watch a beautiful sunrise over the
Atlantic Ocean. When people came close
to me, I eagerly announced, "Want to
see the Moon?" Some immediately said
yes, others kept going, and a few needed
a little encouragement: "Have you ever
observed the Moon through a telescope?
It's amazing. Come have a peek."
One pre-dawn morning a lovely crescent shone boldly in a nearly cloudless
sky. Various people accepted my offer. I
showed them how to float their eye over
the ocular and politely warned them
not to touch the scope as it might jiggle
our target from view. There was a brief
silence as they found the sweet spot in
the eyepiece, followed by gasps of "Ooh,"
"Beautiful," and "You made my day!"
When they lifted their heads I gave
them a few seconds to absorb the experience and then said, "Have another look!"

When they did so, a sense of accomplishment swept through me. I knew
I had impacted their lives in a special
way, and they would likely never again
take the Moon for granted. Nor would
they forget their pre-dawn outing when
brilliant Luna looked almost touchable.
They would tell everyone how they saw
the bright, ashen sphere through a telescope and what a stunning sight it was.
A crescent or gibbous Moon displaying
cavernous craters, majestic mountains,
and deep, shadowy valleys is always mesmerizing.
After the initial exhilaration wore
off the questions began. "What is that
dark, smooth area?" "How tall are the
mountains?" "Can you see the American
flag?" And the query that always made
me chuckle: "How much does a telescope
like this cost?" A Canadian man made
one of the funniest comments. After
thanking me he started walking up the
path then suddenly stopped, glanced over
his shoulder, and exclaimed in all seriousness, "You should charge for that."
Occasionally, a view of the Moon
elicits a deeply personal response. One
evening a woman peered through the eyepiece, and when she lifted her head she
was crying. "What's wrong?" I asked, a
bit confused. In a low voice she explained
that her daughter had recently died, and
when she observed the Moon she felt the
two of them were communicating on a
spiritual level. Through teary eyes she
blessed me. That left me speechless. I
simply nodded my head and thought to
myself, "The Moon does that to you." ✦
Mark Mathosian, a freelance writer, lives
with his wife, Kathy, in North Carolina,
where they love seeing their grandchildren.



Sky and Telescope - October 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - October 2016

Contents
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - Cover1
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - Cover2
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - 1
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - Contents
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - 3
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - A
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - B
Sky and Telescope - October 2016 - 4
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