Cloudy, snowy weather, not promising for astronomy, so here’s a September photo of the Moon at about the same phase as the current phase for 12-1-11:
8:12 PM CDT September 3, 2011 (1:12 UT 9-4-11), 8″ reflector telescope, 25mm eyepiece. The crater Aristoteles lies on the terminator towards the north. Due to a favorable libration, the aptly named Mare Marginis (“Sea of the Edge”) may be seen obliquely but clearly along the edge or “limb” of the Moon east of Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises), with Mare Smythii (“the Sea of Smyth”) also along the edge to the south. Mare Undarum (“Sea of Waves”) is the spotty patch to the southeast of Mare Crisium.
More fun with the toy microscope:
The date on a dime, magnified 30 times. Yes, a 2005 dime. Kinda reminds me of the title card for the “Lord of the Rings” films.
Below, a room in the manufacturing plant where I work has a painted floor with several worn patches, including this one:
In the “peninsula” just to the left of center, does anyone besides me see the face of a glamorous young woman with lots of lipstick, winking her right eye? The technical term for this type of thing is pareidolia.
In Touch With the Sky 