Amateur observers prepare to watch SMART-1 impact Preparing to
watch the impact by ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, amateur
astronomers worldwide are keeping a close eye on the Moon in an
observation campaign coordinated with SMART-1 scientists. At the
beginning of July this year, the lunar phase was similar to the
one that observers on Earth will see at the expected time
SMART-1's impact, now expected on 3 September 2006 at 07:42
CEST. As a result, during the month of July, several amateur
astronomers started imaging the impact site. The Moon as seen in
these images shows a slightly earlier phase than on 3 September,
when it will be a bit more illuminated, but when the impact site
will still be in the dark. The first image, taken by German
amateur astronomers Christian Bauer and Silvia Kowollik, shows a
lunar phase very similar to that visible at the expected time of
the SMART-1 impact. The impact site is situated in the dark area
at the bottom left of the picture (North is up, East is left).
The impact is expected