Quick! What astronomical object offers an amateur astronomer the greatest wealth of detail to observe? Answer: the moon. Yes, the moon offers more detail for a telescope than any other object in the solar system and, for many city bound astronomers plagued with light pollution, perhaps even more detail than the total of all the deep-sky objects in the sky on a given night. Wow!

So why isn't the moon a more popular target for astronomers? For one, I suspect it may be a matter of mystique. The moon simply does not have that exotic appeal and mystery of the outer planets and certainly doesn't pique the imagination the way distant galaxies do. For another, I suspect it may be a matter of marketing. Let's face it, from a marketing pint of view, the moon is a dud. You don't need a lot of equipment or accessories to observe the moon, even in a serious way.

All of this adds up to one thing, in my opinion. The moon may be the ideal target for urban astronomers or astronomers on a budget. Light pollution is never an issue and even a small refractor will do a nice job on something this bright. Forget those jumbo "light bucket" telescopes used for deep-sky work or fancy computerized mounts - you can always find the moon on your own. Lastly, the moon is worthy of some serious observing. Amateur astronomers who haven't tried lunar astronomy in a serious way may find it to be far more challenging than they expect and certainly a more interesting object as well.