Virtual Moon Atlas
Quick user's guide
Usable with version 8
The following examples will help you to well use the "Virtual Atlas of the Moon" andgive you all informations needed for good settings. The versions compatible with thedescribed actions are indicated:

How to well set the "Virtual Atlas of the moon"
How to view the Moon for a given date and hour to prepare an
observing session
How to find an unknown lunar formation that you just discover the
existence
How to use a "Goto" mount
How to study a known formation and know how and when to observeit
How to search a formation of the libration zone and its next observing
date
How to look at a formation in its geological context
How to generate documents usable "in the field"
How to study the Moon Far SideAnd now, have a dream...
Scientific surveys of the Moon
How to study a specific type of lunar formations
How to study the origin of lunar names

How to link external documents

How to well set
the "Virtual Atlas of the Moon"
A good setting of the "Virtual Atlas of the Moon" is necessary to better use all its
features. The authors have wished this software to be usable by the greatest numberof people despite of the machine resources needed. This is why there are somme
settings to do.
Owners of the most powerful computers will access all the functions in great comfort.
The speeder the microprocessor, the more graphic memory inside and better will be
the resolution and shorter the computing time.

1) First settings
The "Settings panel" is managed in the ATLUN module.

After launching the ATLUN module, click on the "Configuration" menu. Click on the"General" thumbnail. Type your observation site coordinates, so that, librations could
be computed.
Fill the case "Use computer date and time".
Then, choose the language. It's the language of the software and of the databaseand French and English are provided in the basic package. In the other languages
available, versions produced by others volontary colleagues, it's often only thesoftware interface. Some databases have been translated too in some languages.
Click on the "Databases" thumbnail.

You have just to fill the cases corresponding to the databases that you wish todisplay on the map at the same time.
Attention : The more you selected databases, a more bigger number of formations
must be managed by the module. When selecting the "Salamuniccar" and"Robbins" databases, this number can go up to more than 1 million ! So, this willslow down considerably the maps display performance.
In the "User database loaded from DATLUN" frame, your own databases will be
displayed after you tranfered theme in the VMA using the DATLUN module.

Click on the "Display" thumbnail.

You can fill the "Show the phase" and/or "Show the libration" boxes if you wish it.
You can also apply your favorite color to the point showing the formation on the map,the name of the selected formation and the color of the name of the neighbourhoodor principal formations. You can also decide if you want to display them if you fill or
unfill the "Show label" and/or "Show marks" boxes.
If you fill the "Mark the point of the maximum libration", a well visible arrow will be
displayed around the lunar disk to show you, where the libration will be maximum forthe date and hour that you will select soon. You will notice soon that the arrow size is
proportional to the libration intensity.

The "Mark size" cursor allows you to magnify or reduce size of the libration arrow
and of the point showing the selected formation.
If you fill the "Center label on formation", the label will masks more the formation,
but will be placed juste above it.
We recommand you to fill the "Short label" case if you use the "Satellites
formations" and/or "Unnamed formations" databases, so that the display will not
be covered with long names, according to the huge nimber of registered formationsin these databases.
You can choose the labels font when clicking on the "Labels font" button. It will becertainly necessary to you to try several possibilities coupled with the labels density
and their color to find the best display for you.
The "Label density" cursor allows you to increase or reduce the number of names
formations displayed at the same time on the map.

Click on the "Textures" thumbnail.

The three altrenative cases "Phase without relief", "Phase with dynamic relief"and "No texture" are used to activate or not the display of dynamic shadows on the
lunar terminator.
If your computer has not a performing graphic card, fill the "Phase without relief" caseand choose only the "Airbrush relief with or without albedo" textures or uses theother textures but with a limit to the 1 to 8 levels..

This tab presents a selection matrix for selecting textures according to the applied
zoom level. This new function is a very useful way for choosing the textures display.
You can choose to keep the same texture for all zoom range or select as above a
progressive change parallel to the zoom change. You have just to select the wishedradio button. There can only have one texture choosen for a given zoom level.
If you don't want to see any texture, fill the "No texture / To use with an overlay
alone"We think that it's better to use textures with increasing resolutions according toincreasing zoom level. There are 6 resolution levels for the texture. The softwareloads automatically the levels indicated according to the zoom applied to the map :The Clementine texture goes up to 4 levels.
The "Unified geological map" texture goes up to 3 levels
The LRO, LOPAM, LRO-Kaguya and Chang’é 2 textures have 6 levels.
The textures "Airbrush with albedo", "Airbrush without albedo" go up to 3 level.
The textures "Clementine photographic" and "Chang’é 2 photographic" are used
to show the aspect of the formations under the highest possible solar lighting.
The "LRO-Kaguya shaded" texture is particularly suitable for displaying scientificlayers.
If you wish to display an historical texture, you can choose one in the scrolling list
juste at the right of the "Historique" case.

Choose the one you wish by clicking on it.

Click on the "Overlay" thumbnail.

You can apply above the texture that you have choosen in the "Textures" thumbnail,a layer whose transparency can be set so that, you can continue to the texture
below.
The "Relief aerograph sans albedo" and the "LRO - Kaguya - Shaded " textures
are recommanded to applay the overlays, according to the power of your computer.
You can also choose not to display a texture in the "Textures" thumbnail of the"Configuration" menu (See above)
If you wish to display an overlay, fill the case "Show overlay" and choose one in thescrolling list below.
If you wish to display a coordinates grid, fill the case "Show grid" and choose the"step" of the grid with the cursor.

Click on the "Images" thumbnail.

Downside, you will find the images directories list. It will be possible for you to add
new directories for your own images and others as you want.
The "Check for optional features" allows to the module to determine if some of thepictures libraries stored on the VMA Web site have to be downloaded.

Click on the "Eyepieces" thumbnail.

Type the names of your eyepieces in the list. Fill the "Field" column and help yourself
with the "Compute" button above. We think it's a good option to sort your eyepieces
and combinations from the less to the more powerful. If you click on the rightcolumns, you can activate (Green) or deactivate (Red) the "Left-right" (<->) inversion
and the "Up-down" (N/S) inversion. So, if you own a Newtonian and a refractor, forexample, you can program the exact views that each of these instruments will gives
you.

Click on the "CCD" thumbnail.

If you own a camera or a photographic body that you wish to take pictures of theMoon, type the names of these devices. Then fill the columns "Width" and "Height"
with the help of the "Compute" button and the associated fields above.

Click on the "Printing" thumbnail.

First, define the documents margin. We advise you to choose 10 mm, so that all the
documents according to a single formation could be printed on a single page. The"Information text width" allows you to choose database datas printing police size.
Here, we advise you to try several sizes and choose the best.
Fill the boxes of the documents you want to print. The three documents can be
printed on the same page if you use a sufficiently small police size. We advise you tofill the "White background" box to reduce printing ink quantity when printing maps.
Abd now, validate your settings choices by clicking on the "OK" button. For some ofthese choices, you will be obliged to quit the module and relaunch it.

2) Other settings
Now observe how your graphic card manages the display when you zoom or when
you move the map. Is it slow or jerky ? If yes, you must improve the settings.
Click on the "Setup" thumbnail to the right of the screen.

It shows an interesting tool for the final configuration. At the bottom of the frame, you
see an fps (Frames per second) counter called "Refresh rate". The higher thenumber, the smoothest the display.
Slide now the "Penumbra" cursor to choose the transparency degree of the nightside. You must know that the display is speedier when the dark part is completely
black. This permits also to mimic the "Earthshine" effect.
Slide the "Diffuse" cursor. It manages the general quality of the map.
Slide the "Direct" cursor. It manages the width of the blurred part at the terminator.
The display is speedier when it' positionned on the left and in précision when slided
on the right.
But, the setting that influences the most the display is the one managed by the"Smoothness" cursor. This cursor is used to manage the precision of the 3D sphereon which are applied texture and overlay. Completely on left, it's not a sphere but apolyhedra with faces.
Moving the cursor to the right will increase the number of faces, but this setting
becomes more and more greedy in ressources. Going to a better spherical shape will
improve the formations places precisions on the 3D map.
You have now to adjust this various cursors to obtain an acceptable compromise
between smoothness and fluidity. It's not good to go below a 4 fps display rate sinceit can block the computer.
If you know well Open GL, can also try settings with the "Force texture
compression" and "Anti-Alias" cases. You must restart your computer so that thesemodifications will be taken.
Click on the "Tools" thumbnail on the right.

Fill the "South" box if you use a Newtonian so that the map display will be as you can
see the Moon in your telescope. Or fill the "North" and the "Mirror" boxes if you use
a refractor or a Maksutov or a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
Validate all your choices clicking on the "OK" button. You can now enjoy all thepower of the Virtual Moon Atlas " !
Have a good observation !

How to view the Moon for a given date and hour
to prepare an observing session
You wish to know the aspect of the Moon for a next day to prepare your observing
session, maybe for two different reasons :- You would like to observe "Deep Sky" objects and Moon presence is not wishable.
- You would like to observe the Moon and know visible formations on the terminator.
Once the software started, the "Map window" appears displaying a true 3D lunar
globe. If you haven't yet done it, go inside the "Configuration" menu and fill the"Phase" and "Libration" boxes. press "OK". You can also click on the "Phase" and"Libration" buttons in the buttons bar on the top.
Click on the "Ephemerisis" thumbnail.
- If it's an immediate observing session, click on the "Now" button and the software
will synchronize on the "System" date and hour of your operating system.
- If it's for a future observing session, set date and hour with the upper arrowed boxes
and click on "OK" button.
The lunar globe shows you now phase and librations for choosen date and hour.
Clicking on the "Ephemerisis" thumbnail, you can see in the right window all theneeded datas.
Then, click on "Terminator" thumbnail
In the right window, you can see now a list of formations visible on the terminator.
You can limit this liste with your interest level using the upper scrolling list. You canalso reduce this list to the formations only easily observable in your instrument,choosing the nearer of yours in the "Instruments" scrolling list.
You can sort this list according to name or latitude formation activating thecorresponding box.
Click now on the list first formation and its position is displayed on the lunar disk.
Scrolling down in the list with arrowed keys will permit you to see the position of otherformations and have a good idea of termiator and prepare your observing session.

How to find an unknown lunar formation

that you just discover the existence
You have just dicover in a magazine or in a book about the Moon, thexistence of aninteresting lunar formation you just don't know the existence before. The Virtuel Atlasof the Moon will indicate you its existence.
Start the ATLUN module. We will choose for our example "Mons Rümker" that yournew information has just revealed you the existence.
Click on the "Information" thumbnail. In the "Search" input zone at the bottom of theframe, type with upper case letter and without any accent or " ¨ " :MONS RUMKER
Then, click on the "Search" button. In a few seconds, you can see Mons Rümker
position indicated on North - West part of the lunar disk.
Please, also note that this powerful search function is very powerful because you canuse "jokers : *So, if you typeMONS*
You can see the positions of all formations whose official name begins with "MONS".
You have just to click on the "Next" button to see them one after the other.

How to find an unknown lunar formationthat you just discover the existence
You have just dicover in a magazine or in a book about the Moon, the existence of aninteresting lunar formation you just don't know the existence before. If you own acomputerized "Goto" mount which accepts the ASCOM protocol, the Virtual Atlasof the Moon will track it directly on the Moon.
First of all be sure that you have installed the good ASCOM drivers on yourcomputer. If not, go on the internet to the site
http://ascom-standards.org/
Connect your mount to your computer
Start your computer and the ATLUN module. Go to the "Tools" thmbnail on the right.
Then use the telescope pad or a planetarium software to target the Moon.
Click on the "Show menu" button and launch the connection.
Begin centering a well known formation in the eyepiece fieeld and select it on themap. Push the "Sync selected" button for initializing telescope coordinates on thisposition.
It's also possible to make this operation on a star near the Moon with the planetarium
program.
After, check the box "Goto selected" so that the map displays always the telescope
position.
If your telescope can do automatic pointing, you can now click on a formation on themap, or choose it with the "Search" function of the "Information" thumbnail and thenclick on the "Goto selection" button

How to study a known formationand know how and when observe it
You would like to observe a particularly interesting formation, or you have justdiscover in a magazine or a book about Moon, a special interest for this formation.
The Virtual Moon Atlas will indicate you all the informations it contains and when
you can observe it well.
Start the software. We will choose for our example the "Alphonsus" crater that yournew information has just revealed you an interesting detail.
As you now well where is Alphonsus, just slide the upper zoom cursor to half its
way. You can also use your mouse wheel if you own one. The lunar globe magnifies.
Click on the map or globe with left button, stay clicked and move the mouse to movesimultaneously the map, as grabing it, to center Alphonsus. It's is now visible andyou click in its center. Its name is displayed confirming you that you were right. If you
made a mistake, you have just to search it as described above.
When you identify Alphonsus, use the "Center" button. Then, map shows you thatit's a not too old crater with a central peak and pretty high walls.
You can read all the detailed informations about it in the right window "Information".
You will find here informations about the origin of its name, on its position, its
dimensions, a complete description, observing advices and the official datas of theInternational Astronomical Union (IAU).
Note also the "Profile" frame above the right window that gives a good idea of a cutof this crater.
For a well understanding of the description, click on the "Picture" button. This will
launch the PHOTLUN module. An horizonatl frame will show you pictures available inthe various pictures libraries of the VMA that you have downloaded and installed.
Remarkably detailed pictures show you morethan in every terrestrial instrument. Clickon the one you want to display and it appears in an independant window.

You can adjust the picture size and definition using "Zoom +" and "Zoom -" buttons
of its window. Lifters are used when it's too big to fit in the main window. You canalso set light and contrast.
The picture shows you well the black dots, the central peak and the rilles indicated in
the description and even more if you consider all the craterlets visible inside.

How to search a formation of the libration zone
and its next observing date
Discover together now the last face of the power of the "Virtual Atlas of the Moon".
The problem is to search a formation located in the librations zone which only
periodically visible. We will use the famous "MARE ORIENTALE" ... which is on the
East side of the visible face , but now on the West part since the International
Astronomical Union has changed the orientation of lunar maps.
Start the program. Click on the "Information" thumbnail. In the input zone of theupper scrolling list, type with upper case letter and without any accent or " ¨ " :MARE ORIENTALE or *ORIENT*
The, click on the "Search" button. In a few seconds, you can see Mare Orientale
position indicated on South - West part of the lunar 3D globe. Maybe it's really visible
according to the date taken by the software
Slide the zoom cursor in its middle. The 3D lunar globe becomes bigger.
Click on the globe with left button, stay clicked and move the mouse to movesimultaneously the map, as grabing it, to center Mare Orientale.
You can read all the detailed informations about it in the right window. You will findhere informations about the origin of its name, onits position, its dimensions, acomplete description, observing advices and official datas of the International
Astronomical Union.
These pictures show you Mare Orientale in a way impossible to observe from Earth,but how do we see it at the best from Earth ?
Close now the picture window with a click on its "Close" button to come back to theglobe.
Click on the "Configuration" menu, than on the "Display" thumbnail and activate"Phase" and "Libration" boxes if it's not yet done.
Click on the "Ephemerisis" thumbnail and with the ">>" button, go in the future to a
one day per click rate.
You will then witness the slow move of the lunar globe and the terminator path. Notethe arrow showing you the place where the libration is maximum and how its size

varies with the libration intensity.
Observe as Mare Orientale is from times to times more visible. A good observing
period will be when the position is good and on a Full Moon day. With a sufficient
clicks number, you will find a such day in the future. it will be indicated in the dateboxes above the videorecorder buttons. Look at the hour to confirm it's not during theday. Now, you have just to wish that you will be free on this night and that
meteorology will be favorable !
You can also have a look to Mare Orientale as if you were orbiting the Moon, juste
above it. Click on the "Full globe" and the "Center" buttons in the buttons bar above.
And you can see now an impossible view from Earth !

How to look at a formation in its geological context
With the Virtual Atlas of the Moon, you can also obtain informations on thegeological history of the formations and their surroundings.
Go to the "Configuration" menu. Select the "Textures" thumbnail . Find the "Unified
Geologic map" in the matrix and select it. You can choose the 1 to 8 zoom levels.
Click on "OK". The geological map is displayed. We advice you to remove the phase.
Click on the "Information" thumbnail. In the field "Search" at the bottom, type thename of the wished formation. Click on the "Find" button.
The searched formation is shown on the map. Move the "Zoom" cursor to magnify
the map as you want and click on the "Center" button to center the selected
formation in the map window.
Click on the "Information" thumbnail at right to read the datas about the choosen
formation.

How to generate documents usable "in the field"
The Virtual Moon Atlas allows you to generate printed documents usable "in thefield". How to proceed ?
Open the "Configuration" menu. Click on the "Printing" thumbnail. You can choose
the width margins of the printed documents, information page police size and what
documents to print.
The two most important are the map to find a formation and the information page ofthis formation. Fill the two corresponding boxes. The two documents will be printed

on the same page if you have choosen a sufficiently small fonts police.
Click on the "Display" thumbnail of the "Configuration" Menu. Move the "Labelsize" to the right to increase the printed names size and make them more readable.
You will certainly have several tests to do befor finding a good compromise..
We advise you to choose black or white colors for marks ans labels if you own ablack and white printer as laser ones.
Then, click on the "Tools" thumbnail. Fill the box "Mirror" to obtain a lunar map
similar to what you will see in a refractor or in a Schmidt - Cassegrain, Cassegrain or
Maksutov telescope.
But, if you own a newtonian telescope, unfill the box "Mirror" and fill the box "Southup".
Then choose the magnifying factor. With "Zoom" cursor at left, the map shows thewholo Moon as it's visible with a X100 magnification, filling nearly all the field of aclassical eyepiece.
Right click on the mouse or use the "Zoom" cursor to choose the zoom factor to X 2that corresponds to a X 200 magnification or X 4 which is for a magnification of about
X 400.
Then, open the "File" menu. Setup your printer selecting "Print Setup". Choose yourprinter in the upper scrolling list and the alimentation mode. We recommand you tochoose "Portrait" format. The click on the "OK" button to validate your choices.
Re-open the "File" menu and choose "Print" selection to send to your printer theselected documents.
After printing, you obtain a document giving you all what you need to find a formation
and understand its own history.

How to study the Far Side
With the VMA, you can view the Moon Far Side.
For that, press the "Full Globe" button in the upper bar.
In this "Full Globe" mode, mouse and lifters role change.
Mouse is for turning the globe around its polar axis and lifters are for area centering.
You can turn the globe and go viewing the Far Side relief. If, in the "Databases"
thumbnail of the "Configuration" menu, you have filled the "Far Side named
formations" box, names of formations will be indicated as on the visible face andyou will have access to their informations in the "Informations" thumbnail on theright.

How to mimic an astronaut
With the VMA, you can have a good idea of what was the show enjoyed by the
Apollos missions astronauts when orbiting around the Moon.
Open the "Display" thumbnail of the "Configuration" menu. Unfill the "Show label","Show mark" and "Mark the point of maximum libration" boxes for no landscapeobstruction. But if you want to know the viewed formations, don't make that.
Open the "Textures" thumbnail to choose the "LRO WAC mosaic" texture.
After, you have just to press the "Full Globe" button in the upper bar.
In this "Full Globe" mode, mouse and lifters role change.
Mouse is for turning the globe around its polar axis and lifters are for area centering.
Click on the "Tools" thumbnail at right and click on the "East" or "West" buttons torotate the globe as you want. Best is with the equator up.
Right click on the map and select your most powerful eyepiece. The circle simulates
the "window" of your spaceship. Use the lifters to center the lunar limb or use the"West view", "Center" or "East view" button of the "Satellisation" frame to choose
your area.
Select the satellisation speed in the scrolling list and press on the "<" or ">" button tochoose the move direction. The "II" button is for stopping the move for displaying theformations names.
Select the speed you wish. And now, have a dream...

How to see a formation in a scientific context
You can also observe the repartition of different elements on the Moon surface or
look at topographical datas on the full lunar globe with the "Pro" version.
Go to the "Configuration" menu. Select the "Overlays" thumbnail. Fill the "Showoverlay" box and choose the scientific overlay in the scrolling list below. Set thetransparency with the cursor.Click on the "OK" button. We think it's better to remove
the phase and libration effects by clicking on the "Phase" and "Libration" buttons.
You can also access the Farside if you press the "Full globe" button.
If you press the "2nd window" button, you create a new window besides the first andyou can set its display with another scientific overlay so that you can compare thesame area with two parameters.

How to study a specific type of lunar formations
With "DATLUN" (c), the VMA databases manager, you can select a specific type of
lunar formations that you wish to localize and study.
Patrick Chevalley has choosen to build DATLUN on SQL language so that it will bepossible to generate elaborated multicriterias requests. And more, the informations
entered in the databases by Christian Legrand are always "formated" permiting
precise requests.
These two factors conjuction allows you to select, for example lists of formations
such as :- Rilles over 4 miles wide visible 2 days after First Quarter.
- Craters with central peaks and a diameter between 20 et 30 km (Diameters zone
where the peaks appear)- Craters with flat floor filled with somber lava visible in a 50 mm diameter instrument.
- Formations appearing on Antonin Rükl "Atlas of the Moon" chart 33 or on page 58
of Hatfield Atlas.
- Formations appearing on LOPAM IV-108-H2 picture around Alphonsus- Formations created during eratosthenian period- etc....
After that, the "Mark selection on map" will start VMA with all the selected
formations clearly localized. We propose you to read the illustrated "DATLUN"
manual for more informations.

How to study the origin of lunar names
With "DATLUN" (c), the VMA databases manager, you can also study the origin oflunar names.
Patrick Chevalley has choosen to build DATLUN on SQL language so that it will bepossible to generate elaborated multicriterias requests. And more, the informations
entered in the databases by Christian Legrand are always "formated" permiting
precise requests.
These two factors conjuction allows you to select, for example lists of formations withcharacters names presenting the same features such as :- Characters living during the 18th century.
- English mathematicians or physicists (Or from any other country).
- Characters who have study the light.
- Craters whose character's name has been applied by Schmidt.
- Characters who are born in a specific town.

- Formations present on Langrenus map.
- etc...
It's the first time that a such tool is proposed for lunar observers.

How to link external documents
With "NOTELUN" ©, the AVL's document manager, you can also save observation
sheets with all the observation or image-taking conditions.
With "NOTELUN" © , it is also possible for you to link external documents to thetraining sheets. It can be Word, PDF, html, mp4, mp3 documents provided you havethe appropriate viewers or players installed on your computer.
Please, refer to the « NOTELUN » module manual for more informations.

VMA TUTORIAL END
Copyright Christian Legrand & Patrick Chevalley / 2023
The authors kindly ask users to report any errors found in this manual to themthrough the website forum..