Good Librations

Due to the tilt of the Moon’s orbit, it nods north and south during its circuit around Earth allowing us to see a little more of the Moon’s surface than if didn’t tilt. In this case the maximum nodding, or “libration” corresponded with the first and the last quarter of the Moon. The two photos were combined at three notable craters near the center, Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus, and Arzachel, to show the extent of the Moon’s libraton. Strange how it wobbles and nods as if it has had too much libation!