The Moon: Golden Handle
🔭
Askar 130PHQ
📷
ZWO 2600MC Pro
🌃
Bortle 8
⏱️
Single image
🗓️
March 2026
Overview
The Golden Handle is a feature on the the Moon that’s visible once a month. When the angle of the Sun is just right, it catches the peak of a mountain range called Montes Jura, lighting it up like a giant letter “C”.
Background
I had a fun time imaging the Moon, resulting in my Lunar X and Lunar V photo, so decided to have a crack at the Golden Handle, another feature that you need to get the timing just right to see.
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Close-up
Science
The distinctive Golden Handle “C” shape is light skimming across Montes Jura. This is the surviving portion of the rim of the ancient impact basin, which explains why it’s so curved; it’s essentially part of a circle. The Golden Handle is visible for a few hours when the Moon is waxing, around 10 to 11 days after New Moon. The effect is caused entirely by perspective and the low angle of the rising Sun. So, like the Lunar X and V, the Golden Handle is an optical effect rather than an actual physical feature.
At the centre of the Golden Handle is Sinus Iridum, Latin for “Bay of Rainbows”. It measures about 250 kilometres across. Its floor is ancient basaltic lava, formed 3.8 billion years ago after a giant impact on the Moon caused a huge crater, and threw up material that formed Montes Jura. Later, volcanic eruptions flooded the crater floor with basalstic lava, making it look relatively smooth.
Kit list
This is the equipment I used to capture the image.
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Telescope: Askar 130PHQ
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Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MC Pro
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Explore Scientific 2″ 3x Focal Extender
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Mount: StellarDrive X 6R PRO
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Buy EQ6-R PRO from Astroshop.eu
Buy EQ6-R PRO from High Point Scientific
Rebuilt into a StellarDrive X 6R PRO by DarkFrame Optics.
Control: ASIAIR Plus
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Buy from High Point Scientific
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Example source data
Here’s the unedited image.
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