J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 109, 4, 1999, p.215
Springer-Verlag, 1999. ISBN 1-85233-018-X. Pp 122, £26.00 (hbk). (Price to BAA members: £19.00)
reviewed by Keith W. Abineri
This excellent photographic atlas, for the benefit of amateur lunar observers, has been revised and extended by Jeremy Cook, former BAA Lunar Section Director. Henry Hatfield's Amateur Astronomer's Photographic Lunar Atlas was first published in 1968 and was received at that time as one of the finest available for use by visual observers. Of course during that period very exciting lunar exploration with probes and satellites was occurring, which would help to transform our knowledge and understanding of the lunar scene. Fortunately this has continued to the present time. Nevertheless the re-publication of Hatfield's Atlas should be of special interest to amateur observers who wish to study the Earth-facing lunar surface under varying conditions of illumination and libration. The format of the maps and plates is especially suitable for use with a moderate aperture telescope.
The quality of the 16 maps and 88 photographic plates is generally very good, and apart from a few additions and alterations, they match those in the original atlas. The maps and plates are printed with south at the top to suit visual telescopic observation. IAU directions are now used. With a few exceptions, feature names on the maps have been altered as necessary to those listed in NASA publication 1097, the Catalogue of Lunar Nomenclatures (1982). Feature heights are now given in metres and distances in kilometres. A useful libration key is shown beneath each main plate.
Each of the 16 maps is placed opposite the first of the series of plates from that area. This plate usually shows the closest resemblance to the map. The remaining plates in each section show varying conditions of illumination or libration, as well as some magnified pictures of selected features. The quality of some of the latter is excellent, especially in view of the relatively moderate-sized telescope (30cm) used by Henry Hatfield in 1966 and 1967. The features include some fine views of libratory regions, e.g. Darwin-Grimaldi (Plate 11e), Schickard-Phocylides and Bailley (Plate 12e) etc. The atlas includes a table of photographic exposure detail referred to the 88 plates, and a full index of named formations with map references, latitudes, longitudes and diameters.
This latest version of the Hatfield Photographic Lunar Atlas is highly recommended to amateur observers for their preliminary visual studies of the lunar surface. It is an ideal format for use with the telescope. With developments in techniques, such as advanced photography and CCD imaging, more detailed studies of selective areas can also be made, and the use of satellite data from the Lunar Orbiter, Apollo, Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions, as well as from future exploration, should continue to add to our understanding of conditions on the surface of the Moon.
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