I have to ask myself these questions after I took pictures of this year's first full moon. I would like to point out two craters that stand out and appear to have moved. I want to clarify that I am stating that I think the moon has shifted as a whole and I am merely using the two craters as a point of reference. I would like to know if the face of the moon shifts or rotates to a different position? Is this common?
The Mare Crisium crater is an almost circular dark area towards the top right side of the moon. That is where it shows up on most of my moon shots, until recently. (If you are unsure as to where these features are, just go on-line and look up mapping of the moon's craters.)
The other crater that I will bring to your attention is what I call the "Belly Button" of the moon. It's official name is Tycho crater. It is an almost perfectly round lighter circle towards the lower edge of the moon, almost bottom center. Again,in the first two pictures but not the third. This is approximately where it appears in countless other pictures that I have taken over the years.
In the third picture the Mare Crisium shows up almost to the top center of the moon. This is not a rotation of the photograph or of the camera. No trick photography here. You will also notice that the distance of the crater's outline to the distance of the edge of the moon has decreased in the third shot.
Now compare where the "Belly Button" or Tycho, is located on the first two pictures compared to the third. It is no longer bottom center. I have noticed small changes from year to year but nothing this obvious. Perhaps it isn't so significant...or is it? You decide.
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