You can plan ahead using guides and online tools that tell you where the terminator is at any given moment. My 2004 edition of Peter Grego’s Moon Observer’s Guide features an evening-by-evening description of visible features over an entire month. Andrew Planck’s self-published binder-book What’s Hot on the Moon Tonight? is a more readable and casual version of the same. You can also try 50 Things to See on the Moon by John A. Read as a starter guide to our neighbor world. The out-of-print Astronomy Atlas of the Moon by Antonín Rükl is a must-have title as you become more adept at lunar topography, though a copy might be difficult to track down.
Both Grego and Planck include good information on lunar science. That’s part of the pleasure of moongazing: Piecing together events over eons and understanding the violent past of our satellite. The science is fascinating.
For another dive into such matters and as a necessity to supplement your map, you’ll need a good lunar atlas. The best atlas currently in print is the 21st Century Atlas of the Moon by Charles A. Wood and Maurice J.S. Collins. It is brimming with sharp photographs and excellent descriptions. I have used mine so much that I had to get it rebound! It’s appropriate for all levels of expertise.
A basic online guide to what’s visible on the Moon daily can be found at
https://www.shallowsky.com/moon/ but be forewarned the charts referenced are more advanced. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio’s
Moon Phase and Libration site allows you to “dial a Moon” to any date and time you wish (although note that time input is in Universal Time). You can then download a detailed map with lunar features labeled. And, of course, Astronomy magazine’s “
Sky this month” and “
Sky this week” columns regularly feature timely lunar targets.
Take your time
Part of the joy of lunar observing is its relative ease. You can set up your scope in the backyard while dinner is cooking or take a break for a quick observing session with your kids between chores.