Clavius crater

Image Title: Clavius crater

Copyright: Massimiliano Pedersoli

Date image was taken: February 26, 2026

Location: Bassinale 1800 mt Montecampione, Brescia ,Italy.

Data Acquisition Method: Personal Telescope Setup

Description and Details: A reprocessed image of the Clavius ​​crater. It is one of the largest craters on the Moon's near side—ranking third in size—with a diameter of 230 km and a depth of 3.5 km. It can easily be spotted with the naked eye in the southern region, two days after the Moon reaches its first-quarter phase.
It is named after the German astronomer and mathematician Christopher Clavius.
It is a very ancient structure, dating back to the Nectarian period, approximately 4 billion years ago.
A significant 2020 NASA study, utilizing the infrared SOFIA telescope, discovered the presence of molecular water there, making it a crucial site for future lunar missions under the Artemis program.
Images captured on February 26, 2026, at Bassinale (1,800 m elevation) in Montecampione, Italy, under excellent seeing conditions (7/10).
Equipment: Sky-Watcher 355/1650 Flex-Tube GoTo Dobsonian; ToupTek G3M662M camera with a 685nm IR-pass filter and an Artesky 3x Barlow lens.
Software: SharpCap Pro, AutoStakkert, Registax 6, Photoshop.

Name: Massimiliano Pedersoli

Website or Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/massimiliano.pedersoli/