{"id":48773,"date":"2023-08-30T09:26:52","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T09:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f806feac-7019-4971-b6ee-a83880d948ca"},"modified":"2023-08-30T10:32:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T10:32:35","slug":"how-to-photograph-a-large-full-moon-mosaic","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/how-to-photograph-a-large-full-moon-mosaic\/","title":{"rendered":"How to photograph a large full Moon mosaic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Find out how to photograph and stitch together sections of the Moon to make a full Moon mosaic. <\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 30 August 2023 at 09:26 AM<\/p>

\n\n

In this astrophotography guide, we’ll show you how to photograph and piece together a large mosaic of the full Moon<\/a>.<\/p>

There\u2019s a common misconception that the best time to look at the Moon is when it\u2019s full.<\/p>

At this phase, the Moon is opposite the Sun in the sky and sunlight, as far as we\u2019re concerned on Earth, is falling straight down onto the lunar surface.<\/p>

As a result, there are no significant shadows and features such as mountains, crater walls and cracks blend into the bright surrounding regions.\u00a0<\/p>

Read our complete guide on how to photograph the Moon<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Moon mosaic by Ronald Piacenti Junior, Brasilia-DF, Brazil. Equipment: Celestron C6 Schimt Cassigrain XLT, 0.63 focal reducer, HEQ5 Pro mount, ZWO AS174MC camera, optilong cls filter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
In truth, the Moon is not quite opposite. If it were, it would be inside the Earth\u2019s shadow and eclipsed. <\/p>
Instead it will be slightly north or south of directly opposite the Sun in the sky.<\/p>
Nevertheless, at full Moon, lunar features are at their most ill defined.<\/p>
That doesn\u2019t prevent people wanting to image the full Moon, though, maybe because it\u2019s such an icon of the night sky<\/p>
Maybe for the Everest-like \u2018because it\u2019s there\u2019 challenge, or maybe to create colour-saturated images bringing out the mineral composition of the Moon.<\/p>
Often, the temptation to photograph a full Moon, or especially a ‘supermoon<\/a>‘ at perigee, is difficult to resist.<\/p>\n
$\"Lunar$
Lunar Mosaic by Samuele Draghi, Saronno, Italy. Equipment: Celestron C8, Barlow 2x, ZWO ASI120 MC-S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
**Making a full Moon mosaic<\/strong><\/h2>** Imaging the full Moon can be done with a DSLR camera. A low ISO<\/a> and fairly fast shutter speed are needed to avoid overexposure.<\/p>
Another way is to create a mosaic of the lunar surface using a setup that images only a small area at a time.<\/p>
Navigating across the full Moon’s disc, however, is complicated by the lack of shadows to use as reference points.<\/p>
Equipment<\/strong><\/h3>
To photograph a full Moon mosaic, we recommend a high-frame-rate camera and a telescope on an equatorial mount<\/p>
A high-frame-rate camera setup is the best way to go: subsequent processing then gives you the sharpest possible result.<\/p>
Careful adjustment of the settings will allow you to optimise the appearance of the albedo features \u2013 areas of the lunar disc that stand out because they reflect a different amount of light.<\/p>\n
$\"Moon$
Moon mosaic, by Hugh Bellamy, Aberkenfig, South Wales, 21 September 2019. Equipment: ZWO ASI 120MC camera, Sky-Watcher 254mm Newtonian, EQ6 Syntrek mount<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Technique<\/strong><\/h3>
The key to success is to orientate your camera so that moving your telescope in right ascension moves the Moon horizontally through the frame.<\/p>
Once this has been done, you need to decide on a technique that\u2019ll let you move methodically over the lunar surface in overlapping sections.<\/p>
A careful and alert eye is required to spot edge-of-frame features that will provide an anchor point for the next frame and row.\u00a0<\/p>
How many overlapping panes you capture depends on how large an image scale you use.<\/p>
If you\u2019re new to this, it\u2019s worth keeping the image scale low so you don\u2019t have too many panes to work with.<\/p>
We would suggest four to nine as a good starting point.<\/p>
If you\u2019re more experienced, the choice is yours, but the capture can get quite intense!<\/p>
A good way to identify navigation points is to assign a meaning to them.<\/p>
For example, a crater rim and a bright spot might look like a smiling face.<\/p>
Silly though this seems, the more outlandish your choice of comparison, the more likely you are to remember the features when you move to the next area.<\/p>
Once you have all your frames, the next step is to process them and stitch them together.<\/p>
In our step-by-step guide below we’ll look at using software to take the pain out of this process.<\/p>
Photograph a full Moon mosaic, step-by-step<\/strong><\/h2> <\/body><\/html>\n
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