moon

I have taken a lot of pictures of the moon over the past couple of years. Since I started using this new camera, I've been able to get some better shots of course, but I've also been reminded of the limits of how good a picture I can get, from where I am.  

This Nikon has a setting specifically for moon pictures. Holding the camera still is very important, so this setting is nice because it gives you a three second delay after you click, and before it takes the picture. That way, there is no shaking of the camera from the act of pushing the button. Of course, I can, and do put the camera on my tripod, and that really eliminates movement.  The moon setting also adjusts shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.    

I've also taken lots of pictures with the regular auto setting and tried my hand at manual settings, and surprisingly, sometimes those shots have been my favorites.  

After all that playing around, I think that I've probably taken pictures that are close to as good as they're going to get. For this camera that is, and especially, from where I am.   

I have been noticing that the lower the humidity, the sharper my pictures turn out. Lately, if I see the moon is out and I am tempted to shoot it, I immediately look up the current humidity on the computer. If it is above 60%, I don't even try. I know that the lines defining the craters will be fuzzy or that the picture will appear to be slightly out of focus. I've taken hundreds probably, of those kinds of shots. Haven't kept any.  

I also try to take pictures while the moon is high in the sky. Shooting it near the horizon adds miles of atmospheric moisture, heat and turbulence. 

I've commented in posts before about where we are located. We're less than 100 feet above sea level here.  Living in what's described as a temperate rainforest. To improve my photos, I'd have to get somewhere much higher and drier.  Fred and McKenzie told me the other day that the current humidity at their desert home, with its altitude of nearly 2,000 feet, was 10%. Wow.  Those conditions would definitely help to sharpen up my pictures. 

But, enough explanations. I've put some pictures below that are as good as I've taken. I'm very pleased with them. I don't mean to complain about not having perfect conditions. I'm just trying to identify the variables so that I can minimize them.  I'm going to continue to watch for dry conditions and try for even sharper images.        

Tycho Crater, which is one of the moon's brightest craters, in the picture above and the close-up below, looks flat and uninteresting with the light fully on it, but look at the next picture down to see how it looks with the light at an angle. 

Tycho in this photo is near the edge of the light (terminator line), and you can see the detail much better. (This shot is also at a slightly higher magnification than the previous one)  

   

Tycho Crater is 53 miles wide. It's edges average 15,400 feet high and the center peak is about 7,900 feet.  

I am astonished that I can see such sights from my balcony in Henderson.  

I would also like to thank Veronica, a new friend of ours here at the Village, for calling Jeanne and I a couple of times when she noticed that the moon was especially clear. We dashed up to her higher vantage point (two floors above us) and took pictures on several occasions.  

This last picture was hard to get. That sliver of very bright light kept washing out the rest of the moon. I'm pleased that I was able to see a little detail in the dark areas.  

   

I would urge anyone who has any sort of camera to spend some time outside at night, and experiment with some moon pictures of your own. (Especially if the humidity is low)  You might be very surprised.  -djf