Next page | Contents page |

The Moon

No telescope needed! Telephoto lens, short exposure, photo enlarged
Binoculars can show this much detail too
But for deep sky photography the Moon counts as light pollution!

The slightest optical aid will show features on the Moon, as Galileo discovered with a very small and crude telescope. However, it is no good looking when the Moon is Full because then there are no shadows. The best time is First Quarter, when the Sun is casting long shadows along the edge called the "terminator", as shown here.

Photographers are often disappointed at first because the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than is commonly thought. The field of view of a 300mm telephoto lens is about 7 degrees but the diameter of the Moon in the sky is only half a degree. The Moon is small within the photo unless we zoom in to 100% view (eg, in Photoshop).

Next page | Contents page |