UPDATE 2014-01-15: The attached .zip file now contains a Mathcad Prime 3.0 worksheet (.mcdx) and—for those of you who are still using earlier verisions of Mathcad—an Adobe Acrobat printout (.pdf) of the worksheet so can see how it is put together.
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The Astronomical League is a national umbrella organization for amateur astronomers and amateur astronomy clubs in the United States. The Astronomical League provides several dozen Observing Programs to sharpen the skills of amateur astronomers. One of the best programs for observers of all skill levels is the Lunar Program. Earning a Lunar Certificate requires observing 100 features on the moon: 18 with the unaided eye, 46 with binoculars, and 36 with a small telescope. In addition, there are 10 optional activities that can be substituted for any of the first 100 that the observer has trouble with.
After completing these requirements in 2001, I received Lunar Certificate No. 294 in 2002. Even though I was able to observe all 100 features in the main list, I chose to also do 6 of the 10 optional activities. One of these was to estimate the height of a lunar mountain above its surroundings. One way this is done is by comparing the length of the mountain's shadow to the known diameter of a nearby crater. Converting the length of the shadow to the height of the mountain requires some calculations, which I originally did in MC 8.0 Std. This worksheet presents these calculations in the MC Prime 3.0 format, with a few updates as noted.
The mountain I chose (and the one most recommended) is Mons Piton, which is an isolated peak in the eastern part of Mare Imbrium. I did this activity on two successive nights using my 5-inch-diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT). My results from the second night (shown here) were a little better than the results from the first night. A micrometer eyepiece would have increased both the accuracy and precision of my estimates, but I don't own one. I have yet to try this activity with my newer 8" SCT.
