This means that there are enough reports available to work out a qualified conclusion. The many sites with good observing conditions clearly shows how important it was to have a large number of active observers and observing sites.

Results

No observer reported any unusual brightening in Torricelli B or in the area around the crater. Even the comparison of images taken at different times during the observation (on the same location) reveiled any differences. Just to be sure I am going to receive as many images of the observations as possible to cross check between different sites. Furthermore I will compare the images with images from the previous and next full moon.

Observers have compared the brightness of Torricelli B mainly with the craters Censorinus and Moltke but also with Zoellner, Torricelli and Toricelli A. Two observers reported "Torricelli B" to be "darker" than "Torricelli A" which does not conform with my observations in Berlin.

The UAI (Union of Italian Astronomers) have monitored Torricelli B very intensely during many nights and have compared the results of these observations. They did not find any unusual brightening in their data. Their detailed and manifold informations can be found on their english language website at http://www.uai.it/sez_lun/torricelli_eng.htm .

The observers of the GLR (Geological Lunar Research Group) from Italy also put their results on a webpage of their own. You can find it at http://web.tiscalinet.it/themoon/torricelli.htm. They could'nt find any colors in or around Torricelli B but could see it in the even brighter crater Censorinus. Subtle changes in brightness were seen at high magnifications but might be due to atmospheric conditions.

Three observers from GLR and Nick Martin from Great Britain report, that they have seen a bright spot inside Torricelli B on the eastern (north-eastern) side. This is a well known albedo feature that is seen differently by many observers. (The crater with a diameter of just 8 km is a difficult object to observe) These features were noticed only at magnifications of 240x and 300x. There is no report of changes in the color of the bright spots.

There are a large number of observers who used video camera equipment. In Magdeburg, Germany, Jens Briesemeister and Daniel Arndt were able to record the event from 3:00 UT to 5:00 UT. A comparison of this tape with other full moons seems especially promising. Video observations from Tony Cook from Alexandria, VA. (USA) show that Torricelli B is brighter in the blue/visible than in the infrared. This is usual for relatively fresh young craters.

The equipment in use varied from binoculars to 20" Dobsons. Besides visual observations a number of different (film) cameras and CCDs were used as well as a variety of video camera systems. Only a few observers used (or reported) filters. I will put images to the Torricelli website as soon as they are available to me.

What does this all mean?

There was no brightening in or around the crater "Torricelli B". This contradicts the theory that the TLP from January 29th, 1983, might have been a reflection of the suns light on the moons surface. For the TLP of 1983 we have to look for a different explanation. This is a backdraw for the sun-glint theory but is not yet the end of it. The Torricelli campaign was the first and so far the only dedicated mission of its kind and we should wait for a few more observations before we put the theory finally to rest.

Which options do still exist?

Research:

• Find out how much increase in brightness is theoretically possible from an area where the sun is mirrored. (Independant of extreme reflections on selected spots)
• Find out if this area can be detected by a video camera in real life.
• How can one reliably calibrate such images?
• Might a ratio from infrared / visible light be helpfull?
• Are there any wave lenghts that are more favourable to these observations than others?
• Are there any filters that will help in the observations?
• Plot a ground track of the suns mirror image on the lunar surface.
• Circulate this ground track together with the libration tracks and selected libration features in the appropriate lunar observers circulars.
• Look at older TLP-reports: Are there any events that might be good candidates? (TLP on the sun-lit side of the moon; near the equator; extended periods of "brightening"; multiple saros' ago) A good source is the "NASA Technical Report R-277" that lists (not confirms!) TLP reports up to the first lunar landings in 1969. Consider that 2001 is two saros after 1965.
• Find and issue possible events for the next year to come.
• Create an institution that keeps track of all TLP reports (of all kind) in a data base. Keep the data up to date and make the data base constantly available on the Internet.

What else?

This was a highly successful world wide observing campaign. It worked by using the Internet as a communication platform. E-Mail and Internet access seems to have reached a critical mass (in astronomical circles) to make such a campaign possible.

A lot of observers who participated in the event had no or little previous experience in lunar observations. Many people were simply fascinated. An observation at the telescope is always something to look forward to and to know that many other observers in the whole world were doing just the same gave the whole event a special thrill.

I received many E-Mails telling me how much fun this was. Even the unfamiliar conditions - observing the moon at (nearly) full moon in the bright light with litte contrast - were new to many of the participants. Some reported, how important it was for them, to look at the moon the days before, so they could reliably identify Torricelli B during the night and compare it to other features. One Mail told me of the missed opportunity due to a sleepy brain and its inability to wake up while other autonomous reactions of the body shut off the alarm clock. Also mentioned were key situations in the early childhood with respect to Astronomy, notably the first space missions and the manned lunar landings.

The interest in the moon has grown and so has the observation of it from earth. The upcoming lunar missions from ESA and Japan in the next few years will surely amplify this interest. The return to the moon with robot space craft and with manned missions at the end of this decade is under way. This is a good reason to get familiar with the moon and its properties. We need a sufficiently large work force and the intellectual background in ten years time to make possible a lunar base and its supporting infrastructure.

Let's work and live together on earth and on the moon.

Have a good time.

Wilfried

Torricelli B -Homepage:	www.wfs.be.schule.de/torricelli/E_index.html
Contact:	Wilfried.Tost@dlr.de

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