Luna Offers Up a Valentine's Day Gift

The “Valentine Dome” is a gentle volcanic protrusion tucked against the western flank of Mare Serenitatis. It shows up only at the lowest of Sun angles, perfectly timed for viewing on the evening of Valentine’s Day (February 14).

Pits, bumps, and ridges litter the dark floor of Mare Sereni­tatis (the Sea of Serenity) as the waxing crescent Moon approaches First Quarter phase. On the evening of February 13, the twisting form of the Ser­pentine Ridge captures the attention of lunar observers. This feature snakes its way north to south across the eastern part of this huge impact basin, which resides slightly north of the equator.

By the following evening, the Sun has risen over the western half of Serenity’s ancient lava-filled bowl. The changing illumination brings to light some comparatively young craters. Strung out in a line running north to south are Linné G, H, F, B, and A. Despite their small sizes (F and B are the biggest at just 3 miles across), they stand out well under good seeing conditions. Surprisingly, the “main” crater itself, Linné, measures only 1.5 miles across. It doesn’t look like much at these low Sun angles, but it appears as a conspicuous white patch close to Full Moon.

The “Valentine Dome” is a gentle volcanic protrusion tucked against the western flank of Mare Serenitatis. It shows up only at the lowest of Sun angles, perfectly timed for viewing on the evening of Valentine’s Day (February 14). The dome’s somewhat heart-shaped swelling crests less than 400 feet above the mare floor. You won’t be able to miss the handful of older peaks that poke above the dome. One Earth night later, the shading of the dome’s gentle slopes has disappeared under the higher Sun angle, leaving but a trace of the tiny peaks.

Resource linke - http://www.astronomy.com/news/observing/2016/02/luna-offers-up-a-valentines-day-gift